Are Cedar Rapids schools’ music programs on ‘life support’?

CEDAR RAPIDS — Arts programs in the Cedar Rapids Community School District are on “life support” after years of under funding, Carl Rowles, Jefferson High School band director, told the Cedar Rapids school board.

Rowles was one of five people who addressed the board Monday during public comment, emphasizing the importance of arts curriculum to students’ overall academic achievement and sense of belonging.

Dozens more people turned up at the meeting wearing school attire and advocating for the arts.

“Our middle school programs are in critical condition. Our elementary music classes are on life support and in danger of no longer existing,” Rowles said. “Perhaps it’s hard to see that issue given that the most public facing aspects are our high school performance groups, and we high school directors make it work out of sheer force of will. Underneath, our arts programs are a hollow shell they once had been and should be.”

School officials say “staffing levels have been adjusted” to reflect declining student enrollment in arts curriculum and “not on a decision to reduce or eliminate programs.”

The district has 46 teachers in music, band, orchestra and choir for the 2025-26 school year, a reduction of two teachers from the year prior. There are 19 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools and several special programs and options that serve more than 14,500 students.

Rowles said high school arts programs — including bands, orchestras, choirs and show choir — are suffering because students in elementary and middle school don’t get enough exposure to music class.

“We no longer see kids for enough time and at a young enough age to ignite any love of the arts,” he said. “Our elementary students get music instruction just four times a month … How can we expect students to want to continue in the arts if they don’t ever get consistent and meaningful experiences?”

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In a news release issued Monday following the school board meeting, the district stated student involvement in the arts and extracurricular activities will be a priority for the district’s School Improvement Advisory Committee, which meets three times a year.

At least annually, the School Improvement Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the school board, according to board regulations.

The committee’s first meeting this year will 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids.

Anyone interested in attending School Improvement Advisory Committee meetings should reach out to their school principal or Pat Szymanek via email at pszymanek@crschools.us.

“We want to reassure our community that there have been no reductions to our middle school music programs,” the district said in the news release. “All of our middle schools continue to offer band, orchestra, and vocal music opportunities … Like many districts, we must align staffing with student interest and participation, and we will continue to do so responsibly.”

Arts programs are the “curb appeal” that can help attract and retain students in the district at a time when enrollment is declining, Rowles said.

“The arts can help with every measure in your current strategic plan,” Rowles said. The plan includes increasing graduation rates, growth and proficiency on state assessment tests, reducing learning gaps and improving student behavior.

“When students feel like they belong, they’re engaged and they find community within the school, they find success,” Rowles said.

Nicole Wilkinson enrolled her youngest daughter in a different school district in February because of the lack of opportunities for her in the arts, she said during public comment Monday.

“Better options were just minutes away … she’s now enrolled in a school that offers choir in third grade, band in fifth grade and a comprehensive music class. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that from the time she switched schools, she went from barely getting benchmark scores to exceeding them,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson said her oldest daughter has a “strong foundation” in arts programming, having started at Pierce Elementary School in 2017, and going on to join show choir at Franklin Middle School.

Rigley Ohrt, 14, a rising sophomore at Kennedy High School, said she can read music and play an instrument because of the private lessons her parents are able to afford. “But many of my peers cannot, so we can’t sing more challenging music,” she said during public comment Monday.

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“Without private lessons … I would not be able to keep up with my peers from other schools,” Rigley said.

“Should I consider moving to another school outside of the Cedar Rapids district for opportunities those districts can provide their students? I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to stay at Kennedy,” Rigley said.

Rigley said her music and theater teachers at Kennedy High are “superheroes,” “making magic on a shoe string budget.” She worries they will leave for jobs in other school districts or stop teaching altogether.

“I’ve been taught discipline, how to be an effective communicator and how to make amazing art with a diverse set of individuals,” Ohrt said. “My passions are more than just after school groups. They are a defining part of me and, most likely, will be a part of my future career choices.”

Anne Ohrt, Rigley’s mom, said there are ninth grade boys in varsity show choir “because the lack of holistic and concentrated music education in the district is killing the growth and passion for involvement.”

“You can’t expect to have orchestras, jazz bands, choirs, marching bands, show choirs or musicals in high school without core music education from Day One. Students can’t show up at high school with the bare minimum skills and expect to excel and be competitive,” Anne said.

District spokeswoman Heather Butterfield said the district follows Iowa Code, which requires music instruction in elementary and middle school and fine arts instruction in high school that includes at least two of the following: dance, music, theater and visual arts.

The district has three community partnership agreements that focus on at least one area of fine arts, Butterfield said. These partnership agreements include students at 10 elementary schools visiting the Cedar Rapids Opera on a rotating basis every two years and students in 2-4th grade receiving a visit from Orchestra Iowa musicians every year.

Fourth-graders get a field trip to hear the orchestra at the Paramount each year, and all fifth-graders receive violin lessons during music class under the Orchestra Iowa partnership.

The Eastern Iowa Arts Academy offers after-school enrichment opportunities for students in elementary, middle and high school.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com