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The music program is an important part of the life
of our school- because it is an important part of every
child's life. Music teaches life skills. It is character
education in action. Musical study
enhances all areas of learning. The music program in Mt.
Ephraim is a special "gem" of our district,
something we can say is truly all our own and that serves the
community at large as well as the student body.
Recently New Jersey public schools participated in the "NJ Arts
Council Census Project. " This census took the pulse of the
state of arts education in New Jersey. The results were published in September, 2007.
The census shows that indeed arts education in our state is
not where we ideally want it to be. It paints a picture
of rough water being navigated by arts teachers and school
administrators alike. It raises the "red
flag" about music education in the
State of New Jersey and has implications for our own district.
Please take a moment to look over the report and read how our
district scored.
The "red flag" calls to mind a "blue flag" that was
once heroically raised. As they say, "Don't Give Up The Ship!"
I thank you for staying the course and working to keep music alive in
our schools. An active role is vital to maintaining the
arts for our children in a time when school districts
nationwide struggle to fulfill curriculum mandates while at
the same time wrestle with major
budget constraints . Working together with the administration,
we can achieve our goals to the benefit of our children. Below are links to information about music advocacy.
~Mary Manion 11/07
 
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