America’s schools are not at the level that they should be. Many districts across the country have found themselves facing a large monetary deficit, and with budget cuts and layoffs at their highest, the children are the ones that ultimately end up suffering. With tight budgetary constraints in many areas, teaching the arts in schools, as well as promoting arts and music in after school programs have come to an end, and the children are left as the ones to suffer.
Although there are a wide array of paid afterschool services and programs available to help children to learn the value of arts and music, while also focusing on technique, many children are left out when it comes to these services because of the cost involved. The introduction of many publically funded, grant based services have become a necessity in today’s society to provide the extended learning and social environment that school aged children need.
With these free programs, children that would otherwise be left in the dark, so to speak, now find that they too have the opportunity to get the one-to-one guidance that they need. Without these programs, many children would be left behind when it comes to these cultural based learning experiences, and would not have the opportunity to learn the intrinsic and extrinsic value of the arts. The value that these programs provide for the future leaders of this nation is immense, and assists them with becoming more well rounded individuals, not just within the educational setting, but for their own personal interests and growth.