NYC Councilman and hardcore musician Justin Brannan demands music classes for all kids

It should come as no surprise that New York City councilman Justin Brannan is fervently pushing for mandatory music classes for city grade-schoolers. After learning to play guitar in junior high in Bay Ridge, Brannan went on to found two significant hardcore punk bands, Indecision and Most Precious Blood.

Brannan, elected to Council in 2018, introduced a resolution earlier this month aimed to guarantee that elementary school children are educated in both art and music.

"Music unlocked an endless amount of opportunities for me," he told the New York Post. "I traveled to over 60 countries playing music, and it wouldn't have been possible without the guitar lessons I got in public school."

"There is a staggering lack of music education programming in New York City," Brannan added. "We've gotta end the era of public school art and music being viewed as 'extra' instead of essential. All New York City kids deserve to have a high-quality art and music education."

According to the resolution, 10% of city schools serving grades 1 to 5 failed to provide music instruction, and 3% didn't offer a visual arts course during the 2018-2019 school year.

"City officials could not immediately provide an estimate of what it would cost to deliver Brannan's plan," says the Post.