Andrew Beattie takes his music class seriously. He is ten years old, a nice guy, good at baseball, running and singing. And he’s a good violin player.

Twice a week as part of his regular school day, Beattie walks into room #2 at St. Stephen’s School in the north end of Halifax. Some other students swirl about, grabbing at chairs to get next to friends or near the front, but usually Andrew heads directly for a seat in the middle of the room — middle aisle, fourth chair back. He puts his violin on the chair, and he stands waiting for the class to begin. When it’s the right time, he unpacks his violin, puts rosin on his bow and attaches his sponge shoulder rest. His teacher comes around the room to check the tuning of every instrument. After Andrew’s has been inspected, he warms up on his A string, trying to draw his bow out slow and straight and steady. When the instruction starts, he’s all ears.

Beattie is in grade 5. He’s been playing the violin since late October. Like most kids in the class, Andrew doesn’t take any private lessons. For him, this is it.

And he loves it. After class Andrew says, “I wanted to see how it would be to play the violin, and it turns out to be better than I thought it would be. I thought it would be really hard, but it’s really fun.”

The All-City music program that is bringing Andrew and 1400 other students together with music is in peril.

Halifax Regional School Board chair Michael Flemming shocked some members of the board’s Audit and Finance Committee last Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, HRM Council had voted to freeze the school board’s supplementary funding for the year 2003-2004 at the same level as last year. The school board was left with a shortfall of $933,000. Flemming put forward a motion to recommend to the full school board that the All-City program be cut. Such a move would save the board more than enough — $1.1 million. In a panic to stop the motion going through by a loss of quorum, two members of the committee — Debra Barlow and Carolyn McFarlane — rabbited out the door.

The vote was later ruled valid. The motion passed.

Literally tens of thousands have gone through the All-City music program. Janet Dunsworth teaches violin, and she has played with Symphony Nova Scotia for eighteen years. She was a student in the very first year of All-City in the fall of 1967, so she’s seen the program from both sides. “I would never have gone into violin without the program,” she says. “It just wouldn’t have occurred to me to learn to play another instrument other than the piano. Then Chalmers Doane came into the school and did a string demonstration for our class.”

Dunsworth was thrilled from the start. “Mom of course, being a music lover, said yes right away. This was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I even knew I wanted to teach violin right from those early years. I loved it every minute of it and I have to say it changed the course of my life.”

Andrew Beattie found out his music class might be axed when he was given a note to take home to his parents. He told his mother that he didn’t want the program to end. And she doesn’t want it to end either.

“His self esteem and confidence level have soared since he began,” says Violet Beattie. “He loves the violin, and his sister Jessica is due to join the program next year. Andrew is waiting to play with his sister.”

Music education is not a frill. It is a necessity for us to become adults who may wish to work in music. Many more of us turn to the solace of music as a poultice against the business and war of the world.

Several members of Symphony Nova Scotia and other North American orchestras got their start in All-City. Many of them would not have a career in music without the inspiration and excitement they found early on.

Thousands upon thousands are members of community choirs, orchestras and bands, or just playing for themselves in their homes, enjoying music.

The rumours of the death of the All-City program are exaggerated. Members of the school board, beginning with chair Michael Flemming, must be reminded before their meeting Tuesday evening. The All-City program — the string program, the four honour choirs, the Halifax Schools Symphony, the jazz groups and support for two of the high school music instrumental band programs — is important to the students involved in it, and to all of us.

Their phone numbers are online at www.hrsb.ns.ca. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.