OXNARD : Residents Fight Cuts in Music at Schools
Residents of the Oxnard School District have voiced concerns over the possible elimination of the district’s choral and instrumental music program due to a $2.8-million budget shortfall.
Tom Diamond, an Oxnard piano teacher, told district officials Wednesday that although he has no child in the district, he is ashamed to live in a state that is decreasing the teaching of music.
“Music appeals to the soul,” he said. “Sports cannot be the basis of a culture.”
More than a dozen speakers said that cutting the music program at the elementary level would ultimately affect the high school program. They also said children who are involved in music would be less likely to join gangs or use drugs.
Frank Salazar, conductor of the Ventura County Symphony, warned that “we in America think music can be discarded.”
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