CFA at CASD

Delivered by Lara Vera to the CASD School Board 3.24.10:

Music is important to me.  Since I started playing the clarinet in 5th grade, it has become a big part of my life since then.

Many people find ways of expressing themselves, and I express myself through music and art.  I don't like expressing myself by merely talking because public speaking has always terrified me.  It still does.  But music and art have opened a gateway to reaching people by other means.  I can say a little about myself through the colors and strokes I use in my drawings and artwork and the sounds I produce from my instruments.

It's amazing I'm even here making a speech because the only form of public speaking I'm willing to do is if I'm playing an improvisation solo with my saxophone.  But for once I'm glad to be  speaking in front of a crowd because I'm here on behalf of my music, my brother's music, my friends' music, the students of Chambersburg's music.

I've always hated public speaking, just ask my dad.

I don't want the music and arts program to disappear in our schools and I feel a lot of other people agree.

Music is that happy place I can escape to from my everyday stresses.  Five days a week I have to deal with academic subjects I find boring sometimes.  Music is the only academic subject I'm glad to attend.  All my music classes are the highlights of my day.

Music makes me feel different things.  The complexity of classical music makes me feel smart, the chaos of heavy metal makes me think I can take on the world, pop peps me up, and the smoothness of jazz makes my heart soar.  Music makes me feel great, and I would hate to see that taken away from schools.

Unlike students here at Chambersburg there are children who can't experience music and if we take away Chambersburg's music, what do we have left?  I always thought that Chambersburg's music programs are what sets it apart from any other small town.  It's such a shame to take them away.

You sometimes hear about really extravagant schools out there that have courses for the elite, unique programs, and fancy equipment.  Hearing that makes me wish I could have that in my school but I don't.  Then I think, well at least at my school I have a really awesome music program. If the music program in Chambersburg's school district gets cut, I feel I'm not getting everything I can from my education.

Cutting the music and arts program is like trying to turn students into robots because robots don't have feelings. Without music and art, all that's left are subjects without feelings.