To the editor:

I am writing with an urgent plea to the Lawrence board of education to reconsider the plan to eliminate the sixth-grade band program. Traveling across the nation, I have witnessed time and again the devastating effects of a cut such as this. Sixth-grade band is like the foundation of a building, without which it collapses. Years of care and nurturing by many talented teachers, students, parents and the community have gone into building a strong music program in the Lawrence public schools. It can be irretrievably lost overnight.

These challenging times require creative ways to cut budgets. Perhaps there are less painful cuts that can be made to a broad range of areas rather than eliminating the entire sixth-grade band program. I urge the board and community to examine closely the devastating effects of this action. Music in Lawrence is an important component of what makes this community so unique and special. It will not be possible to retrieve what will be lost.

John P. Lynch,

director of bands,

Kansas University