CFA at CASD

Delivered by Carlos Vera to the CASD School Board on 3.24.10:

Imagine a world without music. Churches, theaters, and, well, life would be horribly dull, right? Without music your children would probably be playing handheld game systems. Actually I would be doing that since I'm like any other child. When you're playing music you play until it's perfect which will take quite some time, increasing a boy's attention span from that of a bull in a china shop to that of a priest in a seminary. Therefore, if you remove music, kids will have shorter attention spans.

Music increases confidence because when you're up there in a concert it's good practice for when you are presenting reports and doing something in front of  an audience. I mean, look at me—I used to hide behind people but nowadays I'm playing solos at my school's talent show and right now I'm talking to the whole school board! Doesn't that take confidence?

It's another fact proven by scientists that kids who play instruments do better in school and what is school for but to teach children, right? Well, why not do everything in our power to help teach children? Because music does help.

Music is not a waste of time because in college you can get a master's degree in it and make a living out of it. Look at Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Louis Armstrong, Eddie Daniels, and Jerry Lee Lewis.  They all play the same kind of instruments kids in the fourth, fifth, all the way to the eight grade can play. Music is not a waste of time, music is important!