Due to economic decline, school boards across the country have decided to cut funding for music education programs. It is necessary to maintain music education in the American school system because it promotes the development of skills that children will use for the rest of their lives. Musical development can begin even before birth. Hearing is the first sense a baby acquires and is acquired in the womb (McCutcheon 1). The first sounds a baby hears are the mother's voice and the beating of her heart (McCutcheon 1). These sounds are familiar to babies after birth, which is why recordings of heartbeats are used to calm them (McCutcheon 1). After birth, the baby's sense of hearing becomes more acute and the baby absorbs many different sounds and learns about them (McCutcheon 1). What distinguishes music from most other sounds a child hears is rhythm (McCutcheon 1). The difference between the beat and the beat is that the lyrics of a song are sung to the beat and the beat is the steady beat (McCutcheon 1). Jim McCutcheon says, "When my wife was expecting our second child, we attended a nephew's band concert - and my wife heard a definite response to the band's drum section - every time they played, the baby started kicking! " The steady beat of music, or rhythm, can be learned at an early age and can be one of the first things a child learns (McCutcheon 1). "I've seen moms and dads hold babies and rock them back and forth to the music while they listen to music. This simple activity teaches the baby about the relationship between music and movement," says Jim McCutcheon. Children imitate anything that can produce noise, such as clapping their hands or stomping their feet (McCutcheon 1). Paul Borgese says “We should encourage...... the middle of paper......ble from any student (National Association for Music Education 4). Works Cited McCutcheon, Jim. “The beat continues.” Family life magazine. January 1998: 3. September 19, 2011.McCutcheon, Jim. “Music for little ears”. American children's magazine. July 2003: 6. September 19, 2011.Scott, Zakiya. “Music educates Durham students about Black History Month at Eastway Elementary.” Reese News. February 28, 2011: 3-4. The school music program: a new vision. ND. National Association for Music Education. September 13, 2011. http://www.menc.org/resources/view/the-school-music-program-a-new-visionCiares, Jovanka. "PaulBorgese.com | The benefits of music on child development." *****Welcome to PaulBorgese.com*****. Network. December 16. 2011. .