I never really liked the keyboard even when I was playing it, but once I started to learn music theory I get really excited about it. I had always had a pretty good intuitive ear for music, but learning theory brought it to another level. The structures that I had observed for so many years suddenly had names. I could point to my favorite devices in music and identify them, understanding how they worked and why they sounded like they did.  I even started to write my own songs, although I wasn’t very good at it at first.After about a year or so of piano lessons, my mom relented and let me learn some guitar. I decided to learn music theory for guitar as well. The interesting thing about keyboard is that whatever you learn on it you can take with you to other instruments. Although guitar theory doesn’t necessarily translate to keyboards, for example, keyboard theory does translate to guitars. A keyboard is basically a row of all the notes laid out in a logical order, so you really get to see how the theory of music works. You can then take that knowledge to a more arbitrary instrument like the guitar, flute, clarinet, or anything else.

Still, learning music theory on an instrument I really enjoyed for me to a whole other level. Suddenly, I was coming up with songs that I liked and making progress in my instrument. When I was learning the piano, it was always very slow going. I would learn music theory and pick up some playing techniques, but I didn’t show any particular skill or promise at it. With guitar, however, I was really starting to move. I soon had a good intuitive understanding of the way it worked, and could play many of my favorite songs. I had managed to learn music theory to such an advanced level that I could pretty much analyze any song I heard on the radio and understand what was going on in it. I wasn’t great at guitar or anything, but being grounded in the basics of music gave me enough background to start playing my own songs.

The New York High School for the Performing Arts is well known from its depiction in the Fame movie and subsequent TV series. The school merged with a sister school and is now known as the Fiorello H. Guardia High School of Music, Art & Performing Arts, based in Manhattan. The prospectus includes programs for Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, Vocal, Instrumental Music, and Technical Theatre. In addition to their chosen arts subject, students must study a required curriculum, including English, Math, Science, History, Language and Physical Education. This Performing Arts School (from the original school) has produced an impressive number of alumni over the years, including Laura Nyro, Suzanne Vega, Jennifer Aniston, Adrien Brody, and Wesley Snipes.

The Juillard School in New York City is housed at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. It has an international reputation for its program of dance, drama, and music. The school’s alumni are particularly well represented in the world of classical music and jazz. Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, cellist Yo Yo Ma, and minimalist composer Philip Glass all attended Juillard. Famous actors have also come through its doors, including Kelsey Grammar, Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams. All music students at this Performing Arts School must study sight singing and music theory, along with their chosen instrument. The Juillard is well known for its school orchestras, jazz orchestras, string quartet and vocal and choral groups. The Juillard Orchestra represented the school when touring China in 2008. The school has a collection of manuscripts and scores by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and others.The Brit School in London for 4 – 19 year olds is the only Performing Arts School in the UK that is state funded. Students can study Performing Arts, Media, Art and Design, and Technology. Facilities are top notch with a school theatre, dance studios, and television and radio studios. The annual Brit Awards for music raises money to help with the running of the school. A number of successful female singers have graduated, including Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Kate Nash, Katie Melua and Adele.

When Paul McCartney’s old school building in Liverpool fell derelict, he joined forces with Mark Featherstone-Witty (the founder of the Brit School), to create a new Performing Arts School. The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) has been a great success. The prospectus consists of nine BA Hons. Degrees, and Post Graduate Diplomas and a Master of Arts program. Subjects covered include Music, Dance, Acting, Sound Technology, Arts Management and Theatre Design. There are also weekend classes for children aged 4 – 19 years old. A number of well known musicians and actors have appeared as guest speakers, including John Hurt, Nitin Sawhney, Terence Stamp, Robin Gibb and Joan Armatrading.

Even school districts that tend to have a better budget than others have problems with school music programs. I know that my daughter goes to a great public school that is in a rather high earning small city. Her art classes, along with some of the music programs, have been cut down. They have one teacher doing the job of two or three in each category, and that means smaller class times. Once person is now at three elementary schools when they could spend all of their time in just one school.

Some school music programs still offer what is known to most kids as music class. This is where they learn about music and do a lot of singing, and they may experiment with some instruments like percussion items or recorders. This may be tied with the school chorus programs. Of all the school music programs, these may be the safest. However, there are many instrumental programs that are being cut down, and that is when the students are going to suffer. Less instruments are available for children to learn with, and the teachers just don’t have the time to teach those with their own instruments as they have had in the past.Some schools still have their instrumental school music programs, but they have been cut back. You may notice the marching and concert bands are much smaller in size than they use to be. You may see programs like jazz band, or other specialty bands, disappear all together. Some schools have been hit so hard that they have had to eliminate school music programs completely. This usually goes hand in hand with other cuts like arts and even physical education.

Some don’t flinch when such cuts are made to school music programs, but there are some things that they do not understand. The most important is that the rhythm that is found in music aids the brain in learning. Children who are into music are better in school. It is also something that gives children a break through the day when all other classes are very serious and can be very stressful. Both are beneficial to the learning process and will give children an edge throughout high school and college.