Wednesday, April 17, 2013

It saddens me when the arts are undervalued :(

We've just found out that the Toronto District School Board is slashing the Itinerant Music Program ( Band, Strings, Orff, Vocal, Recorder, Steel Pan Drums) before the Trustees are informed or able to vote on this drastic change of policy.

To save a tiny portion of their budget, they are planning to drastically reduce the quality of music education for students by laying off the expert music educators. It's heartbreaking and shortsighted.

My school  uses these programs each year, and we will miss them terribly if they are taken away.

It only takes a minute to sign the petition below, and your support will make a difference.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/841/524/940/stop-the-itinerant-music-program-cuts-in-the-toronto-district-school-board/

Thank you!

4 comments:

vivian said...

Martha, isnt it sad that people want to cut the arts.. My daughter is a music teacher and all my kids were involved in music through out school I truly believe keeping them busy with music and art lessons the chances of them being on the streets and enhances their learning abilities!
Id sign your petition, but since Im in the states thats probably pointless.
xoxo

Joanne Huffman said...

I signed, but I think my Michigan address may meam they won't count me.

Amanda Pedro said...

I started in the public school system as a vocal music Itinerant. Every year, they threatened to cut the program. Our program taught the classroom teacher how to deliver a music program by delivering a real program.. with proper musical elements and language.
Music is a different language. It awakens so many levels of learning and kinds of learning.
It is so sad to think that children must get the base of this means of expression from private lessons.
Music has more than listening and telling or drawing how the music makes you feel. It IS a different language and instructors should understand that experience and study. I hope it can be "saved" again.

Leslie Jane Moran said...

Oh Martha, I'm so glad to see this petition. I was wondering how one could weigh in on this very important issue. I simply cannot imagine school without music. It is totally essential to life-long learning and living. Thank you for the resource, and as always, let me know if there is anything else we can be doing. I was shocked the other day at Chapters to be asked to give money to support school libraries! This just simply cannot happen in our school system.