Mary Luehrsen: Hi! My name is Mary Luehrsen and I am Executive Director of the NAMM Foundation. Today's schools are full of pressure for accountability and the production of high quality standardized test scores. It's undeniable, and because of that many opportunities in music education are being pushed aside. That is a very shortsighted and uninformed decision that many schools are making, because our research has shown that music in arts-rich schools actually produce students with higher standardized test scores.

Part of it is because children come to school engaged and involved with all of the experiences available to them. And the other part of it is their music and arts experiences are actually laying down the foundation in their minds and in their brain function where they can do better in those other subjects that they are tested on.

So let's not short-change our children knowing that at the end of the day an arts-rich school that has a dynamic music program is actually going to contribute to the accountability requirements of the school and help children feel greater success and achievement, both in their day-to-day studies and when that big standardized test week comes down the pike in the school year.

So let's help our children be all that they can be by studying music and the arts and keep music education strong in our schools so children can achieve and become all that they can be in this world.