Have you noticed that people seem just a bit crazed, a tad furious, and a little on edge lately? Have you seen more finger-pointing, chest-pounding, and "birds" flying than you used to? Do you see less selflessness and more selfishness in your world?

Well, you're not alone.

During the pandemic, disorderly, rude, and unhinged conduct seems to have caught on as much as Ozark and making sourdough bread. Everything from rudeness and selfishness to physical violence has increased. There are fistfights in parking lots, assaults on planes, and armed parents coming to school board meetings.

Why is this happening and how do we fix it? Answer incorrectly and I will slap you across the face! (jk - You're a Patron, I only slap the people who get the free version!)

Best exemplified by Will Smith's "slap heard round the world," the source of it all is much deeper, darker, and older than you might think. In fact, people have been behaving with increased aggression for the past several years. And schools are not immune to this.

None of us are immune to it, and I am sure my sixteen-year-old would swear it's true. Me? I just swear. My son claims to be the victim of my rage, while I point out he is the source. We are not alone in our battle. Since the pandemic, teens are becoming both the source and the target of increased aggression.

A recent report from Education Week states, "Sexual assaults, physical attacks, and other hostile behaviors in schools rose significantly during the pandemic. Hate crimes, in particular, which frequently involve students targeted based on their race, national origin, or sexual orientation, increased by an estimated 81 percent in recent years. And an estimated 20 percent of students in middle and high schools were bullied in school in recent years."

This report doesn't factor in pistol-packing parents storming board meetings, screaming expletives, and insanity towards volunteers serving their community.

Of course, people like you and me are always cool, calm, and collected. But, others around us are blowing their lids and turning America into an indig-nation. How did rage against the machine turn into rage against teens, and how do we fix it?

(You know where this is headed, right?)

Music.

Yep, music is the answer to this problem. Think about it. When was the last time you read a headline about a music kid committing some heinous act? When was the last time one of your rehearsals had an open drill spot because a student got suspended for selling drugs or fighting? How often do you write referrals or have to call parents compared to your colleagues?

I could argue it's having a creative outlet or calming influence. I could talk about the culture of respect and having caring adults and role models.

Yes, music reduces stress, anger, and anxiety in young people AND the adults who teach them.

I could make a well reasoned, passionate, and convincing case that our student leadership development and culture of respect are the root reason for this.

I really don't care why it is. I just care that it is.

If your school community wants kind, hard-working, respectful, and responsible kids, they should surround them with more kind, hard-working, respectful, responsible kids.

I have never understood why education spends so much time, money, effort, and attention on those who do wrong instead of those who do right. And to that same end, it is an ineffective route to develop new programs rather than using programs that are already in place and have a track record of success. Do you invest in stocks that continually yield bad results? Do businesses invest in sectors that perform poorly? Do you invest more money in products or services that do not perform as promised?

It's maddening that many students have to take summer school to keep music in their schedule while less academically focused students get free periods or study halls. I do not understand why there is a fee for music classes, but the turnaround class for students who fail is free. I can't make sense that music students fundraise to serve their school while we invest in programs for those who defile it.

And yes, I realize these are kids, and we must do what we can to save them, which is why we need to invest in music.

If we want excellence, then we must invest in excellence. If we want academic achievement, we must invest in academic achievement. If we want our young people to be involved, engaged, and enthused about school, we must invest in the programs that keep them engaged and enthused.

If we are to be successful, we must invest in the people and programs that reflect the very best of who we are and reflect the type of school we want to be. For these reasons, and so much more...

We must invest in music.

Otherwise, I'm gonna get mad and slap someone. It's been a while since I was in a band.

Have a great week!

-Scott