It’s hard to escape headlines about the damages wrought by sweeping budget cuts in the nation’s school districts these days. Teachers are being laid off in droves, schools are being closed and consolidated, and non-core programs are being slashed to make up the shortfalls. In many cases, the first of those programs on the chopping block is music.

This week on Education Nation's The Learning Curve, we'll be taking a closer look at music and its place in our schools. We'll ask five questions of psychologist Dr. Frances Rauscher, whose studies on music and its effects on the brain led to the discovery of the Mozart Effect. We'll learn about a music program created (against economic odds) last year in one of the poorest sections of New York City. We'll hear from Joseph Polisi, president of The Juilliard School, about the importance of music in public schools. We'll talk to the band Dispatch about why they are dedicating their tour this summer to education initiatives. And we'll visit a school in Harlem, where a one-time grant 10 years ago has evolved into a flourishing music program.

It's music education week in Washington, D.C and at EducationNation.com.

All statements and opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual contributors, and not of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or NBC News.