If we don't invest now in so-called priority neighbourhoods with music classes, athletic facilities, and skills training and mentoring, we will all pay more in the long run.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Preparing for a future in music is an expensive proposition.
When budget cuts happen - which has been happening a lot in this country - after-school athletics and after-school music are some of the first things to go.
More than 50 percent of kids who play an instrument go on to college, yet music education programs at the inner city public schools who need them most continue to be hit hard with budget cuts.
As a society, we can and should invest more money in education.
In the United States, we spend millions of dollars on sports because it promotes teamwork, discipline, and the experience of learning to make great progress in small increments. Learning to play music does all this and more.
When I look at how fortunate I've been, being a musician... my response to being overpaid is that I should pay it back to my community in some way.
This isn't about the money. This is just for me. I love music.
If we're going to spend more money, it should go to the soldiers, Marines, and airmen to increase their salaries.
When we're in a peak, we make a ton of money, and as soon as we make a ton of money, we're desperately looking for a way to spend it. And we diversify into areas that, frankly, we don't know how to run very well.
I didn't think we would ever make enough money to pay rent by playing music.