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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Are Music, Electives Still Important?

For band director Cara Sommers, a rich musical score harbors more than an assembly of instruments - it also taps the major academic disciplines. ``I think there's been so much pressure put on the core subjects that people are failing to realize that all of (those subjects) are taught within music,'' she said. Sommers teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Rocky Mountain Middle School. The place of elective courses such as music takes on unusual importance in an environment of heavy budget cuts. As school districts receive less and less money from the state, electives such as music face increased scrutiny/Michael Neary, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

Question: How important is music, theater, and other elective course in face of Legislature-approved cuts to public education?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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