I see what you did there. :1orglaugh

kane, for the record your sig GIF is simply awesome.

Oh, you'll get no argument from me there - expanded music education would be awesome. But if you're complaining about the "practical" uses of learning languages, I'm afraid that applies to musical education tenfold.

That's what I'm saying, I don't see the practicality of it but I do see how learning a language expands the mind, which led me to think learning music and an instrument would be a fantastic way to accomplish that and *maybe* have more universal benefit. I understand that playing guitar won't get me on the right bus in Amsterdam! :1orglaugh

Unfortunately music & the arts in general are being gutted right now in the American school system. Now it's just about teaching students to perform well on the standardized tests at the cost of most else, so the various school districts can get a leg up fighting for the budget crumbs. Like I said earlier, I think in a generation or two we're gonna see the large-scale results of this, and it won't be pretty.

Yep. We are spending a fortune per child in public education. But the money is all going to administrative bureaucrats, union benefits, etc. instead of being used for the kids.

It's all about the testing and how your school stacks up against others in the overall scoring to get money for your school...which then goes to bureaucrats and NOT the kids.

So at my daughters school, they no longer have Chorus. :(

She is in theater, but we have to pay through the nose for everything. Costumes, etc. And then we STILL have to buy a ticket to see them perform their plays. :(

I'm only now understanding and appreciating the value of learning music instead of simply appreciating it. Learning it was not stressed to me growing up and I wish it was.

I haven't read this thread - Should I bother?..

Where I live I could use Spanish on a regular basis. Actually, there is a good amount of opportunity here for people who speak Spanish to open businesses that cater to Mexicans and other Spanish speakers. If I learned any other language it would be something that I would rarely use.

My girlfriend is half Japanese and have English (British dad and Japanese mom). Her parents raised her speaking English and Japanese so she can speak both fluently and often uses Japanese when talking to her mom and sister just to stay in practice, but she has told me there are a lot of words she has forgotten since she doesn't use it all day every day.

Terrible. What a joyless existence these kids today will lead. My nephew's homework bag weighs like 40 pounds, basically 60% of his weight.