WHEN MONEY is tight, we often make decisions based on the path of least resistance. Often, this ignores human benefit that can affect our lives in profound ways. For public schools faced with serious budgetary decisions, the elimination of programs in music and the arts is an easy target. But in making such decisions, are we depriving our children of the very experiences that will help them lead fulfilling lives?
There is a wonderful children’s book called “The Little Prince.’’ In it, there is a fox that shares a great secret with a little boy. He says, “Here is my secret: . . . It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.’’ To quote Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi: “The tongue is the pen of the heart, but melody is the quill of the soul.’’ Music is interwoven with our sense of identity and our spirituality - it is truly a holy art.
In ancient Greece, music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects, along with astronomy, which was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects. The mind is a beautiful thing, but there is nothing like the soul to give it humanity. Music expresses the inexpressible. It helps to fill our basic needs. It goes beyond intellect, allowing us to understand things with our hearts that we can’t with our minds. It is through artistic expression that we discover who we are.
How sad that we want to deprive our children of this treasure. Music education is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Ron Cohen
Swampscott
The writer was the longtime choir director at John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, N.Y.
