The Saint Lucia School of Music opened its doors to students in 1988 with the expressed aims of facilitating 'on-going training and professional development of music educators;' 'providing a wide range of courses which cater to students’ performance interests' and 'offering the wider community-engaging opportunities for musical enrichment.'  Many factors have contributed to a decline in the school's sustainability and overall performance. Exorbitant prices have become the norm and consequently, the school has garnered the reputation of being an "elitist" institution, which is a far cry from its original mission to provide "accessible music programs" for the nation's youth. Poor management has had devastating effects, resulting in many ambitious youths, lacking the ability to afford to attend the school.  This has directly caused the exclusion of a large cadre of Saint Lucian youth who yearn for the opportunity to become professional musicians. 

When the "School's" ensemble is asked to perform, the standard of performance is notably lacking which results in an embarrassment, not for those who bear witness, but for the innocent students who are eager for the opportunity to share their love for music with anyone willing to listen.  It is important to protect the nation's brand by showing the world that we are also capable of not just reaching but exceeding global music education standards. 

The last decade has resulted in a rapid deterioration of public confidence, a high turnover of staff, rapidly shrinking enrollment, and diminished operational integrity to name a few issues. We must ensure that as stakeholders of a government assisted institution, the people of Saint Lucia cry out to the powers that be to intervene to save the institution from total collapse. This must include an overhauling of the management which has failed to protect the school from such a rapid decline and reduced public confidence. We must also ensure and demand transparency and accountability from the current management. This must be done in order to improve public confidence and to ensure that government funded organizations, report to the tax paying citizens on the viability and sustainability of such programs.  This deterioration of the beloved school has gone on for far too long. We must come together and SAVE THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC NOW!!