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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0711.016 2008-2010Yoshimoto, J From: Sent: To: Caitlin McCready [caitlinmccready ©gmail.com] Tuesday, March 09, 2010 6:48 AM Dominic Yagong; Donald Ikeda; J Yoshimoto; Dennis "Fresh" Onishi Brenda Ford; Kelly Greenwell; Pete Hoffmann Subject: Save The Hawai'i County Band Esteemed Members of the Hawai'i County Council: Aloha from the State of Indiana. 3/10/2010 11 (7) Page 1 of 2 c `n = 7'J .ft rn Emily Naeole;'Guy €riqu s ; —.i— : 1II 2 -7t ce∎ CO w I am moved to write to you regarding the proposed cuts from the budget of the Department of Parks and Recreation that affect the Hawai'i County Band. I cannot impress upon you enough that the detriment you will experience from a reduction or elimination of funding for the band will be long felt and far reaching. As a product of music and arts education, and an advocate for school music, I have seen first hand that the dollars saved by cutting music are of significantly less value than the cost paid for losing cultural, educational, and global heritage. Personally, band taught me leadership, critical thinking, team work, creative expression, the importance of commitment, the benefits of hard work, the value of schools and officials that believe in music education, and the reality that you have to work hard to achieve what you desire, and defend to the death the availability of the opportunity to accomplish it. My husband is a band director in Indiana. He believes in the value of music and music education so greatly that while studying and completing a Chemistry degree at a Big Ten University, he increased his musical prowess through participation and leadership in the music program. Music, specifically band, grew from an enjoyable hobby to an undeniable passion. After completing a Chemistry degree with honors and receiving offers for highly coveted, generously paying jobs, he committed 3 more years of his life to obtaining a degree in Music Education in wind conducting (band) with high honors because he felt he could make a greater contribution to society, regardless of future personal sacrifices of time and low wages. He and his international colleagues remain optimistic in a time where talented and educated music professionals can be laid off on a whim by people who do not understand the full impact of their decisions beyond this or next year's budget. I worked for Music For All, Inc- a non profit that advocates for music education in schools. They have a significant amount of research linking music education experience to student success in life. The pandemic of music education cuts has grown so pervasive that they have even created a hot line for bands that are under the risk of elimination. This should only have come to pass in our darkest nightmares. I urge you to attend a concert, talk with the students and staff, talk with graduates from the Hawai'i County Band and ask them what music has done for their lives. My experience tells me they will tell you that they cannot imagine life without it, nor would they want to. I have visited your great State several times and know that as a people who value culture, tradition and heritage, it is not your first choice to consider reducing funding to the Band to save budget money. Please consider exploring other options to sacrifice before committing the ultimate crime of depriving current and exponential future Hawaiians, the privilege of music education and its long reaching impact on Americans and people around the world. Comm. No. : ( I . t C Ref. To% Ref. Date M U Mahalo Yours in the true spirit of Aloha, Caitlin McCready caitlinmccready nmccready@gmail.com Indianapolis, Indiana Purdue University Alumni Graphic Designer and Euphonium player Involved in music since 1991 3/10/2010 Page 2 of 2