Lily Wiggle

English Period 6
Music Versus Sports FWA
5/29/16
In this day and age, going to high school does not just entail taking math, science,
English and history. Now, about 40% of students participate in a music program and
about 55% of students participate in a sport (Gorman, Number of High School Students;
Koebler, High School Sports Participation). But, these programs are at risk because of
education budget cuts all over the country. With every cut, there is less and less money to
go around especially for sports and music programs. Both activities are very expensive
and the tighter money gets, the more tension arises between the two programs. A question
that has recently been raised is, does one program deserve more money than the other?
Its a difficult and quite sad question to ask because of the benefits and the positive
impact both programs have on students. While both programs are enjoyed by many,
differences in benefits such as GPA and SAT scores, opportunities and skills for the future
and the funding of the programs shape the attitudes of nonparticipants, leaving room to
take sides.
It is apparent that students who participate in sports have a higher GPA and SAT
score than other students, with students who participate in music right behind them. A
2009 study found that the average GPA of a high school student was 3.0 (Americas High
School Graduates 13). The average GPA of music and sports participants is significantly
higher. Students who had taken a music class had an average GPA of 3.17 (The Arts and
Achievement 13) while the average GPA of a student athlete was 0.55 to 0.74 points
higher than the average high school student (Smith New Study Shows). When the average
SAT scores of students who took a music performance class were compared to the
average of students who did not, the musicians scored 40-70 points higher (College

Board 2012 College-Bound). According to a 2008 study, when the average SAT scores of
student athletes were compared to the rest of the student body, there was at least an 88point gap (Knobler College Athletes: Academic Performance). This is quite impressive
for just participating in an extracurricular activity.
Not only does participating in music or sports make kids smarter, but it also helps
develop character. . There are several areasstudent engagement; development of
positive character traits such as self-discipline, teamwork, and personal responsibility;
and capacity to bring people together to build communityin which both football and
music have similar positive impacts John R. Gerdy notes on the positive effects both
programs have on students (Football or Music). In contrast to this, while both teach
teamwork, all sports, not just football, teaches the importance of winning at all costs,
which can create the need for acknowledgement (George More Funding for School Arts).
Unlike in sports, in music there is no winning or losing, so the issue of winning at all
costs isnt there.
A huge benefit to sports programs is the opportunities students can have, that they
otherwise would not. Every year, hundreds of athletes receive scholarships that allow
them to go to college, many of them being the first in their family. In 2014 alone, over $3
billion in scholarships were given out to athletes (Average Athletic Scholarship). The
more funding high school sports programs receive, the better they will be and the better
chance athletes will receive scholarships.
Another factor to consider is the difference in the level of safety of the programs.
George Heymont says Sports programs often involve rough physical contact that can
lead to bodily injury. while Arts programs tend to be more expressive than combative.

(More Funding for School Arts). Sports can be very dangerous and many high school
athletes have died from complications such as cardiac failure, concussions and heat
stroke (Huber Can Endurance Sports). Thats just not something that happens in music
programs. Arts programs have yet to report anyone dying while playing a musical
instrument or reading a poem says George Heymont (More Funding for School Arts).
Athletes being injured while playing sports can also open up the school to lawsuits,
causing the programs to cost even more money.
With the billions of dollars in education budget cuts across the country affecting
the way sports and music programs are run, money is getting tight and it is becoming
harder to pay for necessities. Many high school sports teams are lucking though. Where
state funding is lacking, big business sponsors fill in the gap. For example, two years ago
New Balance gave Gloucester High School in Gloucester, Massachusetts $500,000 to
refurbish their existing stadium and to have their name on the stadium (Koba High
School Sports). Since the school did not have to pay to refurbish the stadium, the money
they would have had to spend, can pay for other necessities such as new uniforms and
other equipment. Although slightly more rare, music programs receive donations from
companies too. Casio America recently donated digital pianos to Boys and Girls Clubs
and schools around the country (Casio Backs Music Education). If you compare the two
donations it becomes apparent that it is the sports programs that receive the better
funding, even if it does not come directly from the state. Is that the way it should be?
LAUSD commissioner of athletics Barbara Fiege thinks so. She says, [The study
statistics] prove what has generally been assumed, that participation in high school
athletics, on average, positively enhances the student's academic progress in comparison

with the rest of the student body, (New Study Shows School Sports). On the other side of
the argument is George Heymont. He says Exposure to the arts helps to build a much
stronger foundation for a young person's future than merely being taught to conquer and
destroy any opposition or blow up shit. (More Funding for School Arts).
If you look at all the factors mentioned, you will see that both programs are very
deserving of time and funding but unfortunately, there is not much money to go around.
For this problem, there are many possible solutions. One option is that we make the
sports budget slightly smaller than the music budget, since they seem to get more money
from outside sources such as big companies. That way both programs get an equal
amount of funding even if it comes from different places. If this solution will not work,
one that will needs to be found, and quickly, before it is too late. It would be detrimental
to high school students across the country to cut funding in either of these programs,
since they both benefit students so immensely.

Works Cited
"11 Facts About Arts in Education." 11 Facts About Arts in Education. Dosomething.org.
Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-artseducation>. This website gives facts and statistics about arts in schools around the
world, arts funding in schools and the effect the arts has on students.
2012 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report. Rep. no.
003_0_NP_01. College Board, 24 Sept. 2012. Web.
<http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/TotalGroup2012.pdf>.
America's High School Graduates. Rep. no. NCES 2011-462. U.S Department of
Education. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2011462.pdf?
_ga=1.53407469.434493793.1449540235>.
"Average Athletic Scholarship per Varsity Athlete." Scholarship Stats. Web. 25 Nov.
2015. <http://www.scholarshipstats.com/average-per-athlete.html>.
"Casio Backs Music Education with Keyboard Donations to Notes for Notes."
Entertainment Close-up 20 Feb. 2015. General OneFile. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|
A402291235&v=2.1&u=west63739&it=r&p=GPS&asid=1767ee37bfbb3c0b95bc
f3179d1c70a6>.
Catterall, James S., Susan A. Dumais, and Gillian Hampden-Thompson. The Arts and
Achievement in At-Risk Youth. Rep. National Endowment of the Arts. Web. 24
Nov. 2015. <https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Arts-At-Risk-Youth.pdf>.

Gerdy, John. "Football or Music? What's the Best K-12 Investment?" Education Week.
Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/06/23/football-ormusic-whats-the-best-k-12.htm>. This article compares football funding to music
funding in schools, to answer the question of which is a better investment. It talks
about the feud between both activities and the effect they have on students.
Gorman, Fitzalan. "Number of High School Students Enrolled in Music Programs." Our
Everyday Life. Web. <http://oureverydaylife.com/number-high-school-studentsenrolled-music-programs-3990.html>.
Heymont, George. "More Funding for School Arts Programs, Less for Sports." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-heymont/more-funding-for-schoola_b_757558.html>. This article is based on the opinion that there should be more
funding in schools for arts programs than sports. The author talks about how the
arts are safer, don't promote unhealthy activities and help students grow more as
individuals. In contrast, the author says sports programs are unsafe, teach students
bad character traits and promote unhealthy activities, among other things.
Huber, Gary. "Can Endurance Sports Really Cause Harm? The Lipopolysaccharides of
Endotoxemia and Their Effect on the Heart." Townsend Letter May 2015: 64.
General OneFile. Web. 7 Dec. 2015. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|
A412799816&v=2.1&u=west63739&it=r&p=GPS&asid=be46b7afeb10f53043fd
4bbb8762c9ba>.

Knobler, Mike. "COLLEGE ATHLETES: ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: Behind the

Line on Grades." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Web.
<http://www.newhaven.edu/27084.pdf>.
Koba, Mark. "How High School Sports Have Turned Into Big Business." CNBC. 09 Dec.
2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/100001024>.
Koebler, Jason. "High School Sports Participation Increases for 22nd Straight Year." US
News. 2 Sept. 2011. Web. <http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-schoolnotes/2011/09/02/high-school-sports-participation-increases-for-22nd-straightyear>.
Mathews, Jay. "In Cutting Sports Funding, Everyone Loses." Washington Post. The
Washington Post, 02 Feb. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101781.html>. In this article, the
author talks about how cutting sports funding in schools would have a negative
effect. The author talks about the effect sports programs have on students.
Mealer, Bryan. Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town. New York:
Crown Archetype, 2012. Print.
Smith, Cameron. "New Study Shows School Sports Improve Grades, All While Districts
Wrangle with Cuts." Yahoo Sports. 9 June 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/prep-rally/study-shows-school-sports-improvegrades-while-more-221934443.html>. This article talks about the positive effect
sports programs in schools have on students. The author includes statistics like
how an athletes GPA compares to one of a non-athlete.