Music education in the United States is in the throes of critical public re-evaluation which appears to have been brought in primarily by two concurrent forces, both of which are still strongly affecting our lives today. During the past five years, large increases in government and private monies have forced public and private educational systems across the country to make major adjustments in the curriculum; from elementary grades to master's degrees, decisions have had to be made as to which subjects will be offered to students and which will not. In addition, the slow and steady deification of technology and its myriad offspring has effected a subtle yet very sure excommunication of the arts from mainstream society. In this article Dr Meadows draws attention to the threats posed by educational budgetary cutbacks, and argues the case for continuing recognition of music's importance in the school curriculum.