An open letter to Tustin Unified School District Board of Education.

To: James Laird, President, Francine Scinto, Vice President, Lynn Davis, Board Clerk, Jonathan Abelove, Board Member, Tammie Bullard, Board Member

Re: Broken Education Promises, Shattered Dreams

I believe in the last 5years that I have lived in Northpark, in Irvine, I have had the opportunity to either vote for or re-elect each and every one of you. Campaign promises made by all, that we would continue to be a top-performing district with little worry of extreme budget cuts. Hope for the future, etc…

And so, here it is nearly May of 2009, and we are sinking. A ship sinking fast, where teachers who once had secure jobs are handed pink slips. Where classes that were once at a ratio of 20:1, are now going to be a thing of the past. Teachers who meet the highest standards and qualifications are told they may have vouchers instead of pay. Please don’t misunderstand… I understand the pressure you are under to balance a budget and to meet shortfalls, but if we are going to cut programs, it should be fair game across the board. Music and the arts in general is always one of the first that school boards believe are a non-essential. I beg to differ.

Forget about the studies that show what music does for an already smart child. The therapy it offers to a child teetering on the edge of attention deficit disorder. Not to mention the kid who has nowhere to go but down, because he is not an athlete, and is a bit awkward in a normal social setting. The one place that does not discriminate and welcomes every child is music. Music encourages sportsmanship, and team effort. Music exercises the brain like none other while you truly learn a brand new language. The language of music.

We have four children, and have put two daughters through Beckman High School. Both graduated in the first two classes with highest honors. Both played cello. In elementary school in FVSD, through music they were able to explore other instruments and learned both drum and clarinet.

At Beckman, both enjoyed travel to Carnegie Hall, and while monumental and unforgettable, it was the other things in music that are foremost in the mind.

The mastering of a difficult piece of work. The applause at Disneyland. The travel to the streets of Los Angeles. The hard work it took to make them the stellar young ladies they are today. Both great represenatives of a TUSD education. Ariana is a second year physics major at UCI. UCI is in the top ten across the nation for physics. Alexandra is a first year film major at Chapman where only fourteen percent of applicants are accepted to the program. Stellar stuff. And while they received a first class well-rounded education, I fear for our next two.

Why should I not expect the same level of excellence? Easy answer. Little by little you will chip away at programs you think disposable. Leave a child until the sixth grade to choose to play an instrument, and the frustration level is higher, not to mention the desire may have gone, because there are so many limits on electives. Like a foreign language, the sooner a child learns music, the better. What’s that you say? Learn privately… I can see your point, but I know for sure is that nothing beats the group setting in which every child is new and somewhat confused, and through the magic of patience combined with musical talent, Mrs. Giesler brings it altogether to play a piece of music, that we as audience can actually recognize.

In just one or two short years with twice a week group play they are ready for Mr. Fischer. It is truly phenomenal. I know for sure Mr. Abelove has experienced it, as his kids are in the music programs. Have you ever had the opportunity to hear Mr. Fischer’s groups play at Pioneer? The level of excellence nearly brings you to tears, as you watch your young child grow by leaps and bounds in not only music performance, but also all of her classes. It is sad that our district believes in API scores above all else. We turn our children into testing robots. We cut minutes for P.E., Art, and now Music. Our children will no longer become well-rounded individuals. I have no doubt that in a decade we will see the results of such cuts. Kids are already dropping out at an astounding fifty percent rate in college, but that is ok… because they tested well in math and science. We neglected to teach them to think. They can memorize formulations, but will be unable to think outside the box.

The greatest generation thought outside the box. But lest we forget, they had music, art, sports, and recess.

Please re-consider the cut. But if you must cut somewhere, cut football. None of my kids participate. And isn’t that the bottom-line? Tons of sports programs to one music program? Elementary volleyball is a necessity, but music is not. Lest you think our family does not do sports, you would be wrong. Varsity Tennis, and a fierce little league baseball player round out their education.

Popular and cool versus Band nerd and brilliant? If we are going for the long haul, brilliant band nerds win every time. Just ask Bill Gates.

Happy Parenting!