A glimpse into Liberty music program’s accessibility

Samantha Klein, Entertainment Editor

The beauty of music is that it is a language that anyone can communicate with. Countless students find a home and a community within music programs around the world, including at our very own Liberty High School. However, there are obstacles that some students must overcome if they want to be involved in music. 

“If you don’t do music in middle school, it makes it tough to do band, orchestra, or choir in high school,” Liberty band teacher Jared Tanner said. “For example, students who have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) are sometimes required to take support classes in middle school, which takes up one of their class periods.” 

Since elective periods are limited at Maywood Middle School, students can’t always do both support classes or English learning classes and music classes. Not to mention, band and orchestra require learning a brand-new instrument, making it very difficult to jump into without experience before high school. While choir is easier to join without previous experience, it’s still a challenge. 

And, if registering for the class is even possible, there is still a social barrier that may prevent students from joining. 

“Classes are open and offered to all students to register for if they choose, but there are barriers in place regarding success,” LRCII teacher Bri Macri said. “Without the promotion of inclusion, students lack confidence in selecting classes that they feel they might not be successful in.” 

Music has been proven time and time again to have many benefits for students, mentally and academically. According to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), music classes can give students a reason to show up to school every day and stay engaged in their other classes. Musical training also promotes memorization strength, a desire to produce quality work, the ability to recognize patterns, and aids in emotional development. 

“Music is a common language! Some of the benefits from inclusion in music classes include speech articulation, an increase in confidence, the opportunity to perform, and the opportunity to be in a class environment with a diverse student population,” Macri said. 

There are many potential contributing factors to why some students may not have easy access to music programs, but it’s not an easily solvable problem. The extra classes – such as language or special learning classes – that students take in middle school are necessary and beneficial, and it’s simply not possible to do every desired class. 

Right now, Liberty offers both guitar and piano classes that beginners can take. These classes may be less intimidating than the larger, more prominent music courses at Liberty, and they build on top of each other to adjust to all skill levels. 

“Music is just worth doing,” Tanner said. “If some people can’t do it then that’s a problem. For many people, it’s a tether to school and a reason to show up and feel like they have a place. That’s always a good thing.”