Page 19 - North Star Magazine 2022

mission to get instruments in the hands of kids in need, proudly stating on their website that in 25 years, they have been able to deliver “more than 14,000 instruments to children in 49 states and 30 countries” (hungryformusic.org). They accept musical instrument donations from people and refurbish them, as well as receive donation funds, which is an impressive accumulation of help that has rewarded many children the opportunity to participate in
music education programs in community programs and at school. The efforts of Hungry for Music had been recognized by the National Public Radio (NPR), the interview airing October 19, 2020 (hungryformusic.org). As wonderful as this organization is in helping poor children get access to instruments that are so desperately needed, they can only do so much, and this does not excuse the fact that music education is greatly underfunded and undervalued in general by school districts. Non-profit organizations only contribute partially to solving this problem.
Participation in music education and music extracurricular activities is known to be limited to affluent kids, or those who can afford
to pay. Extracurriculars are a large part of upward mobility for lower-income students, and for the kids of Plattsburgh to be denied a chance at possibly playing in the school band or orchestra,
solely because there are not enough instruments, is a problem that must change. Aligning with Robert Putnam’s theory, there
is an underlying “pay-to-play” policy instating itself into music programs, and it is denying many children of poor backgrounds critical opportunities that would greatly help them to thrive, both academically and socially. As one of the most consistent school extracurriculars a student in Plattsburgh can be a member of, it is even more important that equal access to music education is provided to all students, in Plattsburgh and across America.