Hey folks, picture this: a scrawny high school kid from the ‘70s, lacing up cleats for football practice, dreaming of that college baseball scholarship. That was me—a mediocre athlete at best, hustling through baseball, basketball, football, and even track practices (though I never competed because, let’s face it, I was too slow). I loved sports from the bottom of my heart; they built grit, teamwork, and a few bruises along the way.

But looking back, I see what got sidelined: the band room down the hall, gathering dust while we chased touchdowns. Choir? Music theory? They were just kinda there, electives at best, not pushed like the gridiron glory. Today, I’ve traded the diamond for the mic—I’m a karaoke king, belting out tunes with passion I wish had been nurtured earlier. If only music, choir, and band had been thrust upon me as a lad, who knows what symphonies I might have composed instead of just swinging for the fences.

Growing up in that era, my soundtrack was all about Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) and The Rolling Stones—those gritty, raw vibes from “Fortunate Son” and “Satisfaction” spoke to my rebellious teen soul under the Arkansas stars. It wasn’t until later in life that I discovered a deeper love for Elvis Presley and The Beatles, appreciating the King’s swivel hips and the Fab Four’s revolutionary harmonies that shaped rock’s foundation. That delayed awakening makes me wonder: what if schools had guided me through music history from the start? Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s even worse—schools slashing programs left and right, all in the name of test scores and budgets. And now, with AI churning out beats faster than a kid can strum a chord, we’re risking the death of real creativity in young minds. As someone who’s lived both the sports grind and the late-blooming joy of music, I’m fired up: It’s time to crank up music education in US schools, starting in kindergarten, as an equal to sports. Not instead of—alongside.

Let’s talk the gap that’s widening like a missed beat. Around the world, kids get spotlights tailored just for them. Shows like “The Voice Kids” in places like the UK, Australia, or the Netherlands scout raw talent from ages eight and up, turning playground singers into stars and sparking a love for melody early. Over in Europe, arts ed isn’t an afterthought—it’s baked in, with countries like Finland and Germany mandating music from primary school, blending it seamlessly with academics. A 2023 study from the Journal of Research in Music Education even showed US music teachers lagging in professional development compared to their global peers, leaving our programs feeling like relics. 0 Here at home? It’s a different tune. Sure, 92% of public elementary schools offer some music access, per the National Association for Music Education. 5 But by high school, participation drops sharply, with only about 50% of students engaging in music programs. 14 And funding? Oof—arts education budgets have seen significant declines since the 2000s, with cuts often tied to economic downturns and shifting priorities. 40 Schools tend to spend far more on athletics than arts, though exact per-student figures vary widely, with sports often receiving double the investment in some districts. 18 Schools with strong music programs boast higher graduation rates (90.2% vs. 72.9% without) and better attendance (93.9% vs. 84.9%). 20 Yet test scores rule, and band rooms go dark.

No kid-focused national talent hunt like those abroad—our shows like “America’s Got Talent” or “The Voice” lump tweens with twentysomethings. We’re sports-obsessed (and hey, I get it—nothing beats a home run), but where’s the equivalent push for a symphony?
In my day, music was kinda there. Today, it’s vanishing, starving young minds of that pencil-to-paper magic. And enter AI—the double-edged sword slicing through the industry. It’s a game-changer, no doubt: Tools like Suno or Udio let anyone spit out a full track in minutes, mimicking vocals or layering beats with eerie precision. A Youth Music survey found 63% of young creatives are already leaning on it for ideas, which sounds empowering. 25 But here’s the rub: It skips the sweat. Scribbling lyrics by hand, fumbling through scales on a clarinet, harmonizing in choir—that’s where imagination ignites. AI? It’s fast food for the ears—tasty, but no calories for the soul. Forbes warned that by 2025, AI saturation could drown out indie artists, flooding streams with endless new songs minus the human spark. 30 A Cornell Daily Sun piece nailed it: AI music falls flat on creativity because it’s tech’s echo, not a kid’s wild dream. 35 Worldwide, sure, it’s hitting hard, but in the US, with our underfunded schools, it’s a knockout punch. Kids aren’t learning to compose; they’re remixing algorithms. Ethical headaches pile on too—think vocal deepfakes stealing artists’ voices, as highlighted in recent discussions on AI’s creative pitfalls.

This urgency hit home watching a recent YouTube video where David Letterman, along with Barbara Gaines and Bill Scheft, meets Adam Reader, the “Professor of Rock.” Reader’s channel, nearing a million subscribers, celebrates the power of music through stories of the greatest songs and artists of the Rock Era, often told by the artists themselves. In the interview, they dive into Reader’s success, debating icons like Billy Joel versus Elton John, and exploring rock history’s enduring impact. Letterman, a longtime music fan, shares laughs and insights, underscoring how these narratives keep the spirit of rock alive—think CCR’s swamp rock grit, the Stones’ rebellious edge, Elvis’s groundbreaking swagger, and the Beatles’ innovative pop mastery. Reader emphasizes the educational value: his videos aren’t just entertainment; they’re lessons in creativity, showing how artists wrestled with ideas to craft timeless hits. It’s a reminder that platforms like this fill the void left by schools, inspiring young viewers to pick up instruments and imagine. As Letterman quips in the chat, it’s about the stories behind the music that hook you for life—something I wish I’d gotten in class, not decades later.

So, what’s the fix? Start simple, start young. Mandate music from kindergarten: band, choir, theory basics, right there with PE and math. Fund it like we do football fields—tie it to those sweet stats on better attendance and grads. Swap some screen time for saxophones; let AI be a co-pilot, not the driver. Imagine a US scouting the next generation, not just for fame, but for fostering thinkers who feel rhythms in their bones. I played ball and loved every minute, but music could’ve rounded me out—taught patience in a fugue, joy in a jam session, maybe even turned this karaoke king into something more. Our kids deserve that balance. Let’s not let algorithms or budget axes silence the next great songwriter. Who’s with me? Drop your stories below—did school music light your fire, or fizzle out? Let’s push for change, one note at a time.

References

[0] Comparative Evidence From the 2017–2018 National Teacher and … – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00224294231180084
[5] What Should the Future of Music Education Look Like? – NAfME – https://nafme.org/blog/what-should-the-future-of-music-education-look-like/
[14] Inspiring the Next Generation of Music Educators – NFHS – https://nfhs.org/stories/inspiring-the-next-generation-of-music-educators
[18] Sports spending per athlete outpaces per-pupil spending on math … – https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2013/12/27/sports-spending-per-athlete-outpaces-per-pupil-spending-on-math-science-english/4230621/
[20] Music Education Statistics and Facts – Children’s Music Workshop – https://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/factsandstatistics/
[25] Young artists are ‘embracing’ creative AI says Youth Music – https://musically.com/2023/07/04/young-artists-are-embracing-creative-ai-says-youth-music/
[30] AI’s Impact On Music In 2025: Licensing, Creativity And Industry … – https://www.forbes.com/sites/virginieberger/2024/12/30/ais-impact-on-music-in-2025-licensing-creativity-and-industry-survival/
[35] The Problem with AI-Generated Music – The Cornell Daily Sun – https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2024/12/the-problem-with-ai-generated-music
[40] Schools Are Divesting From Arts Education as COVID-Era Federal … – https://truthout.org/articles/schools-are-divesting-from-arts-education-as-covid-era-federal-funds-evaporate/