We are parents, caregivers, educators, and community members in Wayland, and we are writing to oppose the proposed reduction of weekly music instruction from 75 minutes to 45 minutes.

We believe every child should have equal access to music education, including the opportunity to learn an instrument, regardless of family income. For many students, school-based music programs are the only way they can access this kind of instruction, while others with financial means can replace or supplement with private lessons. Reducing instructional time increases inequity and limits opportunity.

We are also concerned about the broader direction of educational priorities that reduce hands-on, creative, and expressive learning experiences such as music and the arts while increasing reliance on screen-based instruction. Young learners benefit deeply from active, in-person learning—through writing, playing instruments, collaboration, and creative expression.

Music education is a core part of a well-rounded education. It supports cognitive development, memory, attention, coordination, discipline, and social-emotional growth. It also provides a structured environment where students build confidence, teamwork, and a sense of belonging.

While we recognize that schools face difficult scheduling decisions, reducing music instruction undermines both equity and educational quality.

We are also deeply concerned that this proposed reduction in music instruction is being implemented during the same school year that the district plans to pilot a new taxpayer-funded English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum aimed at addressing the very literacy challenges cited as the justification for reducing music instruction. Introducing two major interventions simultaneously makes it impossible to determine whether future changes in literacy outcomes are attributable to the new curriculum, the additional instructional time created by reducing music, the interaction between the two, or neither intervention at all. This creates a confounded evaluation that undermines the district's ability to draw meaningful conclusions from the pilot. Families deserve a transparent explanation for why these initiatives are being implemented concurrently rather than sequentially, with an established baseline for the new curriculum. We are further concerned that the district has cited staffing constraints as justification for reducing music instruction while administrative compensation and other budget priorities remain substantially above state averages. Before reducing educational opportunities for students, the community deserves a clear accounting of why alternative staffing and budget solutions were not pursued.

We urge the Wayland Public Schools to maintain the current 75 minutes per week of music instruction so that all students continue to benefit from a complete and balanced education that includes the arts.