For all Americans concerned about the quality of education in general, & of arts education in particular (dance, visual arts, music, theatre) I'd encourage you to support the following principles espoused by these educators. Statistics show that nations who have the arts & especially music at the core of their curriculum are doing a whole lot better in their academic achievement than those who don't. It's really sad to me that some in authority have removed the arts from the curriculum when just a little investigation into history reveals the ancients & most if not all great ancient cultures saw all science & art interwoven & needed for a well rounded education.