Future Music Educators

I just recently came across this advocacy initiative that is sweeping musicians all across Facebook. This is a project that is being coordinated by the Seton Hill Chapter of MENC. Presented as an Event, Facebook users are encouraged to “Attend” the event, and then post a few statements about why music is so important to them. All of these testimonies will be compiled into a booklet and circulated to advocate for Music Education in our schools. In just a few days, the event has close to 2,000 attendees, and over 8,000 awaiting reply. This is a truly epic project being done by the people at Seton Hill University that will hopefully put a huge amount of information into the hands of people who need to read it. Below are some of the opening statements on the event page by creator Mandy Eckenrode:

As many of you know, Governor Corbett and the highest levels of government are proposing huge budget cuts to education in Pennsylvania. Because of this, school administrations are targeting music education. If these cuts go through, thousands of children could lose the opportunity to be involved in music and hundreds of teachers will lose their jobs. Music is being considered a “fluff” course that gets in the way of higher test scores.

We have been advocating for years, but those in power are starting to ignore us.

This is where you all come in. We need testimonials from those who have been affected by their music programs. These testimonies will show that not only professional musicians believe in music education.

Whether you are a music major or not, I want to hear from you!

All I need is a something short. Describe your experiences with music in school. Tell us about how you gain leadership by being a section leader, how your motivation changed, or the simple joy of creating music that brightened your day. There is no length requirement; it can be as long or as short as you want. All I need to know is how music has changed your life for the better.

I certainly encourage you to add your testimonial to the HUNDREDS that have accumulated within the past 3 or 4 days. You don’t have to be a PA resident to share a testimonial! It’s an easy process – Login to Facebook, search for “You Can Help Save the Music in PA“, click attend, and write your testimonial. Please share this with as many people as possible! The more you talk about it through Facebook and Twitter, the more posts this project will receive, and obviously the more the better! Also, check out a few of the testimonials below!

Hello, I’m Patrick Intallura, a freshman in high school. I graduate in 2014. Music is basically the only thing that keeps me going in school. Music gets me through the day. If I’m tired, the sound of my French Horn peps me up quite a bit. Performing gives me confidence. And it’s been proven that music actually makes you smarter. I’m living proof of this, since I’m an honor student and so are almost all of the students in band. And if the football teams didn’t have marching band, who would show up to the games anyway? (What are the football players doing on the band field? D) I want music to be a part of my future career, too, and if it’s cut, then my dreams are crushed. Music is the spirit of the school, and without it, grades will drop, and so will everyone’s morale and confidence.

Hi my name is John Lora. I’m a freshman at the University of Delaware majoring in chemistry. I went to high school at Franklin Regional in Murrysville, PA. I jumped into the music program as soon as i started high school. I performed in the plays and the musicals and was a part of the chorus for all 4 years. Music and theater have always been near and dear to my heart and without having these opportunities in high school, i fear i may not have discovered that. The friends that i made from these activities were my closest friends throughout high school and without them, the school days would have seemed much longer. In all, I believe people need music (and theater) to find others and to find themselves.

hey there! my name is Cassie Miller, im majoring in Music Therapy at Maryville University of Saint Louis and will graduate sometime in 2015. from the time i joined the school chorus in 5th grade, music has always been apart of me. from 1st grade till now i have always been part of a church choir or band. i plan to use music to help as best it can and as best i can. music gives me my outlet for dealing with stress and artistic imagination. music got me through being bullied in elementary school, a bad break-up, losing touch with my father, and losing people close to me. were it not for music, i would have acted out in school and in the community and ultimately end up in prison or worse.i am the person i am today because of music and my relationships with my musical instructors.