This month is National Music In Our Schools Month and teachers around the country are celebrating how great music is with students. This past summer, the Every Student Succeeds Act was passed. This is a big step in music education, not just to help keep jobs, but for the students to keep participating in music in the school systems. Music has a bigger impact on students than one may think. I asked some of my colleagues to share their experiences with their K-12 music programs.

"Without having music from grades 5-12, I probably wouldn't be where I am now. Not only did the program at my school encourage me to be a leader and gain those skills, towards the end of my high school career when my interest in music education began to show, I was only positively reinforced and given the opportunity to work with other students and 'test the waters.' My teachers always did everything they could to keep me interested (letting me switch instruments in the sixth grade when I got bored of viola, for example) and help me grow. My parents had never thought that I'd stick with something, but music must have been the only thing we hadn't tried yet. And, y'know. Here I am," said Aly Szczublewski, Music Education Major.

"Without music, I would not be the person I am today. I went through a very dark period in my life and it was that soft-spoken friend I needed. It helped me express what I couldn't put into words. Music also helped me form some of my strongest friendships that I still have and create some of the best and most cherished memories I can remember. My directors also saw something in me that I couldn't and, in doing so, they helped mold and create the leader and musician I am today. They helped me find the voice I've always wanted. Music should always be kept in schools, because it can mean much more to students like how much it meant to me," said Hayden Giessman, Clarinet Performance Major.

"My show choir performed a jazz swing set my junior year and we went to Chicago for the competition. Everyone loved our set. We did 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,' 'Jump Jive and Wail,' and 'Mambo Italiano.' I remember being so happy on stage and not nervous, even though I had a swing dance solo. We were then critiqued on stage and there was nothing bad said about us at all. Like, from our moves, voices, and clothing, we were complimented on it all. And on the bus ride back to the hotel, my choir teacher cried and told us how proud she was and how, no matter what we were placed, it was our best show. We placed first and I was happy for myself and my peers, but mostly for her. She was the best choir teacher and she put so much time and effort into teaching us. Literally always going out of her way, staying past school for five hours or more to help students and our show choir. Her dedication made me love music and made me proud of something I had accomplished," said Savannah Owoc, VCT Major.

"I am doing a unit on music surrounding positive political change in my third-grade class. We discussed what the chorus to the song 'We Are the World' meant. I asked my class what the song meant by saying, 'We are the world?' and had a short discussion about it. We continued down the lyrics until the lines that say, 'There's a choice we're making; we're saving our own lives. It's true, we'll make a better day just you and me.' My student raised his hand and said that verse meant a lot to him because it reminded him of his dad who was killed a while ago. My student went on saying that because his dad didn't get a chance to live his life, it was up to him to live a happy life and it's his choices that will help him live the life his dad never had. A couple of my students began to cry and I thanked him for sharing his story and asked if he wanted to sing it again. The students all stood up and started passionately singing and dancing," said Shannon Bolen, Music Teacher.

Music affects different kinds of people in different stages of life. No person should live in a world deprived of music, whether it's the songs that we listen to on the radio or the instrument that we play. Always support music in the school system because it can make the greatest impact in a student's life.