A few weekends ago I was talking to a relative of mine who happens to teach music at the local elementary school in my hometown. We were discussing her students and how the year was going for her so far. She had nothing but positive things to say about the children, however I could tell that something was wrong. She explained to me that a lot of music teachers in her department were losing their jobs due to cut backs in the school budget. According to the board of education music is not important enough to put forth the money to support it. They feel that reading, writing and arithmetic are the things that children need to focus on the most. They seem to be looking past the fact that we are not trying to raise a society of robots who eat, sleep, and think alike. We are trying to raise individuals with unique thoughts and creative minds as well as being intelligent people. They are looking past the fact that music nurtures the mind and soul and music education could be a simple solution to the problems in society today. I am a secondary ed. English major and most would think that I'd be on the side of the budget-cutters, stating that music should go; but in all reality, and I'm sure I can speak for others in that I don't know what I'd be without the influence of music in my life. The benefits of learning about music at a young age are incredible. It helps children become well rounded; it supplies discipline; it helps children interact with others; it helps keep a grasp on to our culture; it gives children a way to express themselves and vent. There are so many positive aspects involved in music education that it is unbelievable that it is even an option on the ballot of what "gets cut" from the budget. This paper will discuss the benefits of music education.
             While studying the education of the ancient Greeks I learned that their society was based on the foundation that an intelligent individual not only ...