To the editor:

Extraordinary is the word which comes to mind to describe the music performed recently at the All City Choir Concert. The four junior high school choirs sang with skill surpassing that of many high school choral groups. And the combined voices of the Free State and LHS choirs, under the direction of guest conductor, Granville Oldham Jr., were simply beautiful.

As a community we need to thank all the teachers who had their students prepared to benefit maximally from Oldham’s uniquely gifted conducting of young people. And we need to realize that 400 students were involved in this event, approaching 5 percent of the total USD 497 enrollment. Each of these students has had the opportunity to benefit from quality instruction in programs with long tradition, learn another (non-violent) avenue of emotional expression, know the satisfaction of mastering the material, feel the adoration of an impressed and demonstrative audience, and experience the incredible (drug-free) high of successful musical performance.

I hope the school board members were there to experience the moving beauty of the music and to see how many students were involved in this remarkably successful undertaking. And I hope they keep these facts in mind as they continue the onerous task of evaluating the budget for next school year. Mr. Oldham told the audience he hopes that Lawrence continues its fine tradition and, paraphrasing a program title, “makes its music garden grow.”

We will only be able to do this, if music is seen as the academic discipline it is and appreciated for all the many lessons it has to teach our children.

Dee Ann DeRoin,

Lawrence