On March 29, the Newton Public School District released a proposed school budget that includes removing strings and orchestra from the elementary schools.
We support a strong music program that includes strings and orchestra in Newton’s elementary schools. The lifelong and transferable skills that playing a musical instrument cultivates in children are more important than ever in our fast-changing world. These include being creative and versatile, collaborating through listening, improvising and nurturing curiosity, and honing a craft while remaining dedicated to a long-term goal. The sense of accomplishment, amazement, and joy that children feel when they reach key musical milestones and perform in ensembles with their peers is truly unmatched in other aspects of a child’s academic journey.
We firmly believe that all children deserve access to music education, regardless of their family circumstances. As professional musicians and parents of two young children, we are both grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to study music from a young age, one of us beginning violin in her own public elementary school and continuing through to high school orchestra. Dismantling the strings and orchestra program at the elementary level will have ripple effects that are deep and long-lasting. The high school music programs are jewels in the district, so the repercussions of this cut at the elementary level will be wide. We ask the Newton Public Schools to continue to offer this opportunity to all children at the elementary grades, a time in which the young mind is primed to absorb music.
Dr. Jessica Chow Shinn, Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Dr. Michael Shinn, Dean of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
The Shinns are co-founders and artistic directors of the pianoSonoma Music Festival, founded in 2011.
