You hear music, I hear a cash register...

Reprinted from my anonymous comment on the CSI: Scituate blog

I just read the Marshfield Mariner article about charging for the music program. (I'll include a link at the end of my post.) I think this is a fabulous idea and should be investigated by the school department. I would be interested to know how many students participate in instrument lessons at the elementary and middle school levels in Scituate. If the number is less than half of all students, I feel it would make sense to charge a small fee (Marshfield is looking at $70 to $80) for instrumental lessons. That's a heck of a lot cheaper than private lessons, and like every other dollar collected from students, if the family can't afford to pay on paper, the student can still participate. Why should the entire town be paying for lessons that less than half (a guesstimate) of all students are taking advantage of?

We have a great music program in Scituate, but should we focus on instrument lessons that are used by few, or updated materials for the core subjects that will be utilized by all students?

Marshfield Mariner Article on Music Fees