Yes! I want to make music education a driving force in America's schools. If children are to succeed in the workforce and world of the future, they must be provided with a well-rounded educational curriculum incorporating music and the other arts. A Brief Rationale for Music Education Music has always played a major role in society. It exalts the human spirit and enhances the quality of life. One fundamental purpose of education is to transmit out cultural heritage, and music is a powerful means for communicating that message. Music helps students to develop and mature. Musical potential is one of the basic abilities that exists in every human being. Music in education provides both motivation and an opportunity for success for at-risk students. Because it is essential that every student succeed in school, music should be used as a means for enhancing self-esteem, respect for others, and good citizenship. Music uses one of the most powerful and complex symbol systems in existence, which can be used for the development of critical thinking skills in all students. Research is showing that students that are engaged in active hands on music making have an academic edge; all children deserve this opportunity. Music helps students with the aspects of life that cannot be quantified. Since much in education emphasizes true/false tests and other "objective" measures, students need experiences in which there are opportunities for several acceptable interpretations to any given problem. By providing exercises in creative problem solving through composition, performance, and listening, music brings a proper balance to the curriculum. "Music Training Should Be A Vital Part of the Education of American Children" -- excerpts from a speech given by John C. McClaren, chairman and CEO of BBE Sound, Inc. to the National Commission on Music Education at the Forum in Los Angeles (Sept. 10, 1990)