Mary Luehrsen: Hi! I am Mary Luehrsen and I am Executive Director of the NAMM Foundation, and I am here to talk about the value and importance of music and music making during the school age years; elementary and secondary school.

Research has shown us that schools that are rich with music and arts opportunities create a more lively and dynamic learning environment for children. Children who are engaged in arts-rich schools have a way of connecting to their education. They have the desire to actually go to school and stay in school. We also know that children that are in music and arts-rich schools also have richer cognitive experiences and develop more creative thinking and creative problem solving skills.

It's so important for children to have that experience, because they are growing on many, many levels at the same time, through their expression, through their intelligence, through their cognitive development, and the arts run all of this together for students.

At the end of the day children that go to a school that's filled with music and the arts have a greater experience for themselves and they create a richer environment for all children in that school.

So let's help keep music strong in our schools and make sure that every child has the chance to learn and grow with music.