See Quincy Jones’ full Instagram post:

“#ThanQMusic for saving my life. Growing up in the south side of Chicago—the biggest black ghetto in America during the Great Depression—all I ever saw were dead bodies, stogies, and the policy racket. As a result…”

#ThanQMusic is a way to start a conversation about the astounding number of music programs that are continuously being cut from schools across the US. Sadly, this issue often gets brushed aside as “unimportant;” however, it’s extremely important. By taking away the opportunity for kids to learn music, we’re ultimately pushing them closer to the things that authorities tell them to stay away from (i.e. gangs, drugs, etc.). Music programs are essential to education systems and it’s up to us to show why it’s important.

What better way to show this, than by sharing our personal stories of how music has helped us, improved our confidence, encouraged us to be expressive, given us a job doing what we love, spoken to us in ways we can’t explain, or just simply been what we listen to on a rough day. The goal of this campaign is to start a movement of people who realize the importance of teaching music in schools and create change through our words. Music programs will continue to be cut, until enough people stand up and push back. The hashtag is a way for people all over the world to share a “ThanQ” note to music, all in one place. Whether it’s a picture, statement, drawing, video, or any other form of expression, it all adds to the ultimate goal of having one cohesive voice—a voice that speaks up for our future generations.

Share your ThanQ note to music on one or all of the following:

using #ThanQMusic

10 Facts About Music Education

1. Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in music lessons.
2. Children with learning disabilities or dyslexia who tend to lose focus with more noise could benefit greatly from music lessons.
3. Music programs are constantly in danger of being cut from shrinking school budgets even though they’re proven to improve academics.
4. Children who study a musical instrument are more likely to excel in all of their studies, work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school, and pursue further education.
5. In the past, secondary students who participated in a music group at school reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).
6. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2% graduation rate and 93.9% attendance rate compared to schools without music education, which average 72.9% graduation and 84.9% attendance.
7. Regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, students (3rd graders) who participate in high-quality music programs score higher on reading and spelling tests.

8. A Stanford study shows that music engages areas of the brain which are involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating events in our memory.

9. Much like expert technical skills, mastery in arts and humanities is closely correlated to a greater understanding of language components.
10. Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training.

(Source: DoSomething.org)

**Remember, nothing will change if no one changes, but something will change if someone changes.**

Thank you,

Quincy Jones Productions