Dear Professor,

It is no secret that due to the ever-fluctuating United States economy, many schools and
universities around the country are experiencing budget cuts. Unfortunately, in many schools, the
first things to go in the midst of a recession are the humanities or arts programs, classes, or
teachers. To many administrators, the arts are the least necessary to keep in a school, because in
the grand scheme of things, arts are extracurricular activities, and other studies should come
before them. Even sports are put as higher of a necessity than the arts. I propose that the arts
classes, including, but not limited to concert band, marching band, choral classes, other arts
classes, like dance, drawing, painting, sculpting, drama, and stagecraft, and the humanities, like
debate, language, literature, anthropology, and global studies should not only be preserved in
schools and universities, but they should also be as much of a priority as sports and academic
classes.
The arts and humanities are on the decline because of the constant increase of
technological resources and available, easier ways of entertainment, like iPhones, iPads, and
other means of technology. Since the birth of the iPhone in 2007, handheld entertainment has
consistently been on the rise. It has now become so much easier to be entertained than ever
before, and participating in an artistic extracurricular activity is now secondary to technology,
just like its secondary position to athletics. However, the arts have expanded to reach those who
are technologically savvy. People are able to post videos to YouTube and Facebook with tips and
tricks on how to play an instrument better or how to sketch and paint. The options are truly
endless, and through the social aspect of technology, people can communicate with each other
and constantly learn more about their craft. SmartMusic, which is a computer and tablet
program, is designed especially for band programs at schools. It aids in teaching students to play

their instruments, practice at home or anywhere you can take a tablet, and find multitudes of
music literature to play. This program combines playing music and the wide world of
technology in order to allow for convenience, experience, and enjoyment.
Personally, I have experienced an overwhelming growth, both mentally and in maturity,
while I have been immersed in the arts. I have taken many arts classes in my life, including
dance, painting, chorus, and music classes including concert, marching, and jazz band, and
through these classes, I have learned how to improve my craft. I play the French horn, trumpet,
Mellophone, and the piano, and the constant art of practicing and perfecting has spilled over into
my academic life, making me a more thorough student. Statistics even show that students in
music classes tend to do better in academic studies than students who do not participate in them.
Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in
mathematics than students in deficient music programs. For many schools who wish to bring up
their academic credibility, this statistic is impressive. Musical learning accesses both the left and
right sides of the brain, so it builds and strengthens connections between brain cells and
improves a students motor capacities and thinking skills.
In my time involved in a music program, two of my band directors have been let go due
to budget cuts, and the program, along with its members, dwindled before my eyes. The
program had to forfeit instructors, but at the same time, almost every sports team received brand
new uniforms. The numbers just dont add up. It infuriates me to see my mentors lose their jobs
simply because band isnt as high on the schools priority list. The decline in the arts and
humanities classes in schools and universities is detrimental to the student bodys welfare as a
whole, and they should never be the first programs to be removed from a place of education. An
emphasis needs to be placed on preserving the arts, especially in the areas of music. Thousands

of years of history have been built on a solid foundation of the arts and humanities, from the
ancient Egyptians hieroglyphics to the old spirituals of the slaves in the South. To strip away
the arts is to leave a world stoic and uncultured for the future generations to come. I believe that
the arts are just as important as any other academic or athletic activity throughout schools.
Instead of putting them aside and leaving them to dwindle away, we should emphasize them even
more, and through that, I believe this country will thrive academically, artistically, and culturally.

Sincerely,
Maria Witzen