
Personal Context: I am interested in this research question for multiple reasons. First, I am a classical and jazz musician. Throughout high school my band program constantly experienced budget cuts and it always affected what we could and could not do. Second, I know how much music has affected my life and want future generations of children to be able to experience what has been such a huge part of my life. Third, instrumental music is a historic pastime that cannot be lost in history. It is a skill not everyone can do and truly is a talent that can't be lost. I will not be affected by this as much as coming generations, but I know how important music education is and want to bring sight to the situation at hand. I am qualified to write about this because prior to this assignment I knew it was a problem and was affected by it's budget cuts first hand. I am still continuing my practice of music at the University of South Carolina and still see how it affects students majoring in music education who are trying to find jobs and make a living. Music has always been a part of my life and I am an advocate for it staying around for future generations.

Source 1: In the article, Katherine Damkohler immediately states that there is a need for music education right now more than ever. She explains the lack of music education programs in New York specifically is extremely high. Damkohler then begins to explain the multiple benefits of music education. She talks about the higher GPA, higher standardized test scores, lower drop out rates, higher college attendance, and higher community volunteer participation. She recognizes that it is Music Education Month in March and calls for people to advocate the positive impact of music. The author is Katherine Damkohler. She has been Executive Director of Education Through Music since 1991. The author is also a strong promoter of the arts, as she worked in the education system. It noted the facts of the impact of arts education programs and tied it back to "Music in Our Schools Month". There might be a slight bias due to her involvement in the education system.

Source 2: In this article Valeriya Metla covers all aspects of the situation. She states the current situation at hand with the budget cuts and emphasis on common core. She then explains the multiple benefits of arts education. She also has a call to action and offers a solution to bringing them back to schools. She then concludes the article and has a neutral tone throughout the course of the article. Valeriya Metla is the author of this article for Law Street Media. She studied criminal justice and regional studies. Her research on the topic makes her credible and her lack of participation in arts programs and the education system prevents bias. Metla states the current state our our education program, the potential benefits, and a solution as to how to achieve that. She is very factual throughout the article. She states the positive effects of music education as well as how the economy has taken a huge hit recently.

Source 3: In this article, James Catterall brings an interesting view point to the discussion of music education in school. He is an advocate for music education, but discusses more of the benefits of music education besides the statistics that every other advocate points out. He discusses the benefits of music alone brings to a human. The main claim is that music education should be kept in schools for the sake of future generations. His three pieces of evidence are higher levels of math proficiency, higher motivation levels in students, and we have a piece of history that can't vanish. James Catterall is a professor in UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, Center for Culture, and Brain Development. This means as an educator he is probably prone to be a music education advocate. Catterall seems to have the credibility but this also shows some bias since he is an educator. However, his study of Brain Development can also help him come to his conclusions about music's affects on the brain. 

Research Question Feasibility: The question of how the cut of music education programs will affect our future generations of children can pose some argument. Some may argue that the future generations will be affected, but there is nothing we can do if the economy keeps taking blows to the education budget. Which is true, but this then poses the question of if music education programs should be the first to get cut over something like sports. Most of the articles I found all tend to agree with each other and all are very factual. The statistics that these authors have provided all line up and continue to advocate music education. Most of the articles I have found agree with my view point and support my perspectives. 


