Hundreds of people gathered at Monte Gardens Elementary in Concord before marching over to district headquarters. Ten-year-old Avery Erilick has spent two years learning to play the clarinet. She said cutting 4th grade music would be devastating.“I think that would ruin a lot of people’s lives because, like, some people don’t know what they would do if they didn’t have music in their lives,” she said.
Officials say eliminating 4th grade music would save more than $500,000 each year. But Northgate High music student Tatiana Avdienko wrote a thoughtful response about the benefits of music programs, saying they create long-lasting friendships and “improve abstract thinking, necessary for learning math and science.”
“I was very surprised. This is a prominent member of the board — it’s the board president — and I felt dismissed by her response,” said Tatiana. “It indicated to me that they were not taking this issue seriously at all.”Afghan Refugees In Bay Area Getting Health Care From Clinic Founded During Vietnam Refugee Crisis
“Elementary instrumental teachers!” he said. “They know how to play every single instrument and they know how to start from scratch and build your foundations. So that when a kid goes to middle school, when they go to high school, then they can just play music.”