Due to a recent change in the budget allocated to Frisco Independent School District’s extracurricular programs, the harp program which is over 15 years old and has more than 130 students is now being “phased out.” This decision came after a Feb. 24 school board meeting in which the district decided to halt the option for future sixth grade students to play the instrument in a school class; however, the district has decided to continue harp education for existing students in the program.
Frisco Independent School District (FISD) should continue to offer harp as a school class for future sixth grade students.
On Jan 21, Cobb Middle School student Grace Kang, 8, started a petition to save the program from being removed for future students. At present, this petition has over 5,000 signatures. The sheer amount of support for the continuation of this musical instrument to be taught in FISD schools serves as a testament to the success of the program itself. Many of those who commented under the petition and created videos to advocate for the instrument include current harp students, alumni of the harp program and parents of harp students. These individuals described their experiences with the harp under the FISD program as one that led to self growth, fostered a strong work ethic and taught skills that proved to be valuable later in students’ lives.
In addition, FISD harp students have competed in state wide competitions year after year and have earned spots at state level orchestras. Some students have even continued to pursue this instrument during their post secondary education.
Furthermore, the harp program has made a significantly expensive instrument accessible for many students. Quality harps cost tens of thousands of dollars. Without a school program which provides these instruments, an interested student may have never had the opportunity to learn the harp. In addition to the instrument itself, the FISD harp program has provided free instruction to students for years. Many families are unable to afford the instrument itself, much less a private instructor for their student to explore this interest. The removal of a program which has provided these resources to Frisco families will be problematic for future students.
Despite the many students that the program has positively impacted, some may argue that it is necessary for the district to remove this program due to the budget deficit. While the district may need to reduce their budget deficit, cutting programs which contribute to the well-rounded education of young students is not the answer. If the harp program is phased out now, what’s next? This first step in removing programs that feed students’ passions may lead to similar cuts of extracurricular programs in the future.
From the opportunities provided to the skills students learn, the harp program has proven to be extremely valuable to students. Do your part to protect the harp program for future generations by signing Kang’s petition today.
