Dear Friends,

Research has shown that the study of music contributes significantly to improved performance in other disciplines, including writing and the sciences, and that it also enhances a student's psychological well-being. In recognition of this important role, Bowdoin College is adding a college-wide arts requirement to the curriculum and is building a new concert hall. In the public schools, however, music continues to find itself in curricular jeopardy, and school music facilities are often non-existent or in sore need of improvement.

Music not only improves learning but also builds communities, and through the leadership of Brandon Bouchard and the Caribou High School Music Building Fund, the community now has a chance to support music in education in a new way, one that can supply the financial resources required for a music program. I first visited Caribou in 1986, when I took the Bowdoin Chamber Choir on a concert tour of Aroostook County. I discovered there a vibrant concert audience that was supportive of concerts both by guests and by local musicians. Over the years at Bowdoin, I have had many students from Caribou and its environs in the choir and in the music department, and some of our finest musicians who have gone on to careers in music hail from "The County." I am not at all surprised that Caribou grads are forging new paths in support of the arts in Maine.

Music brings together the worlds of thought, emotion, and creativity, and leaders in all fields have used music as inspiration, whether it be scientists such as Albert Einstein, humanitarians such as Albert Schweitzer, or political leaders such as Thomas Jefferson. Let us provide Brandon and his board co-members all the support we can in their efforts to give Caribou a music facility it deserves, which will reinforce the strength not only of the school and of the town of Caribou, but also of the global community of future leaders.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Greenlee
Chair
Department of Music
Bowdoin College