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Hmmm... that's interesting. Though I'm not very well-versed in this topic, I've got 2 or 3thoughts on this. First, I don't think that the state would cut fine arts programs so significantly. There would be a great deal of outrage among the schools. I know of a few high schools over east of St. Louis, and at least one in Chicago, that have excellent band programs, and politicians, as stupid as they may seem, are not interested in alienating so many people. And that would most certainly not happen on the college level. Plus, interest in the fine arts, from my experience, is started around the 5th or 6th grade. I started playing my sax in 5th grade. All 6th graders at my middle school were required to take choir (it wasn't required), and there was a fine arts requirement outside of that. That said, many students are fairly set in knowing their talents with regard to fine arts by the time in high school. And even if they were given the chance to explore other fine arts while in high school, realistically, how many "normal" students would wish to take on the label of a "band geek", etc.?
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