“At 56 I am old enough to remember a time when every public high school in this country had a music program with choir and band – usually a jazz band, too, and sometimes even an orchestra. … I am sorry to say that these programs are no longer widely available. This once visionary and democratic system has been almost entirely dismantled by well-meaning but myopic school boards, county commissioners, and state officials, with the federal government largely indifferent to the issue. Art became an expendable luxury, and 50 million students have paid the price. Today a child’s access to arts education is largely a function of his or her parents’ income.”
