Dear Council Member Dinowitz,
My name is Sophie Kuliyeva and I adore playing the violin. I I attend Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music and am passionate about music education. I believe music education is important because it provides an outlet for people to cope and express their repressed or indescribable feelings. Music education is beyond important for various reasons. To understand why music compositions sound the way they do is valuable challenging knowledge. Music education is known for its benefits in exercising memory, practicing self-discipline, and gaining various social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
Music has impacted my life and been a thick woven blanket for me. It is a comforting place that I know will only bring me joy. Instead of hitting the gym or doing yoga, I pick up my instrument and start fiddling. It's the best type of therapy. Music opened many unexpected doors for me that have turned my life for the better. Making the decision to transfer to a music high school was one of the best I could make. Not only is the school environment incredibly supportive but music allowed me to be involved with others more. I got to experience music performance opportunities I didn't even know were possible such as a single violin being part of a Latin Band or having the chance to be a part of Midori & Friends. This program allowed me to gain confidence to never stop doing what I love and aspire to, music.
As a young person I wish to make a difference by advocating for a change in my community. The change I wish to see in the music field is additional funding. Instead of prioritizing modern infrastructures in NYC that money could go towards music schools who are all in desperate need of resources. You can't sound good on a cheap assembly line instrument nor can you learn properly from only one music teacher that does it all while teaching three other orchestras. You simply won’t have time to sit with your teacher and work through your questions because they don't have all the time in the world dedicated just for you. Also, it only gets even worse in after-school music clubs. Already establishing that there is a lack of instructors, this limits the capacity of people able to participate. This also takes away from opportunities to stay after school and continue practicing music with others since there isn't anyone to watch or teach. The sole reason I applied to Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music was because of the music, obviously! However, due to the lack of school funding, there aren't enough music teachers to participate in these music clubs and programs, which is very depressing.
I am advocating for continued funding for music in my school along with additional funding for an after-school music club. To solve this problem the best step would be to provide funding for the instruments and equipment such as broken ones, old ones, lost ones, electric ones, strings, rosin, microphones, salaries for music instructors, and all music related necessities.
Thank you for supporting my music advocacy project, I hope you can join me in making this goal achievable for all students. Please let me know if you have any questions. I welcome the opportunity to talk further.
Sincerely,
Sophie Kuliyeva
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