Why have creative skills been overshadowed in today's society? Some say that music education is a waste of precious resources, takes time away from academic subjects, is noisy and distracting, when in reality this is false. Music is a precious resource that every human being should enjoy. Even though our economy is failing lately, we shouldn't allow ourselves to believe that the only way to be productive is in a field that makes us unhappy, like computers or science. In America's recent economic decline, music education is commonly one of the first programs to be cut in districts across the country; this should not be the case because it benefits students academically, socially, and physically for the rest of their lives. Being involved in a first-class music program improves students' abilities in other academic areas such as study skills, communication skills, and math and science skills. Singing or playing an instrument is a difficult thing to master; it takes a lot of practice, which involves problem solving skills, perseverance and a drive for excellence. Students who excel at this skill are often better at studying and achieving their goals because they are patient and know how much work it will take to conquer the subject, or school in general. Schools that have music programs rated “excellent” or “very good” have higher graduation rates, 90.9% compared to 72.9% for those without (MENC Staff 4). When children learn to communicate emotions through music, they find speaking and communicating with others in real-life situations almost effortless. In band or choir they learn to work with others to create a beautiful product, this skill transfers to teamwork at school and t...... middle of paper ......important over everything else , but it's not, the important thing is the happiness that can be achieved through musical involvement. Works Cited Davis, Virginia. "Don't stop the defense at the classroom door! Plant the seeds with today's students." General Music Oggi 20.3 (2007): 7-10. Professional development collection. Network. October 21, 2011.Lehman, Paul R. “A Personal Perspective.” Journal of Music Educators 88.5 March-2002. 47-51. ERIC. Network. Oct 24, 2011.Paige, Rod and Mike Huckabee. “Artistic education”. childrensmusicworkshop.com. np, 2006. Web. 31 October 2011. Staff, MENC. "Why music education?" MENC-National Association for Music Education. (2007): n. page. Network. 24 October 2011."Why cut music education in schools?" Your dictionary. LoveToKnow and Web. 17 October 2011. .