The executive director of the Texas Music Educators Association says public school music programs are in danger of being cut as the state legislature considers restructuring graduation requirements.
"When money's tight and there's so much emphasis for testing and high-stakes accountability for campuses and for school districts, quite often music and arts programs are the first to be cut," said TMEA executive director Robert Floyd.
There's an emphasis on career and technology programs, but Floyd hopes it's not at the expense of the music curriculum. He recently visited the state capitol in Austin as he continues urging lawmakers 
to spare fine arts programs from the budget ax:
"Our effort at the capitol is to help our legislators recognize that the arts are indeed a part of a well-balanced education," Floyd said. "The work ethic, the creativity, the discipline and collaboration are all skills that carry over into other academic subjects."to spare fine arts programs from the budget ax:He noted that music can help students learn math.
"Certainly there's a wealth of research connecting the study of music and math and how those two correlate," said Floyd.
He said a recent article in "Scientific American" that the arts should be a part of learning math and science.
"That's where the creative side of inventing, developing and creating comes from," Floyd told 550 KTSA News.
Photos: houstonartspartners.org; mcs.smu.edu
