I saw this excellent interview with conductor Danile Barenboim commenting n how much people need music even though we don’t have it in our formal educational systems.

I can see that when we sit on stage. We bring live music to people all over the country and I frequently wonder how important it is for people to sing and enjoy live music. how many more musicians , professional and otherwise would we have if the arts were actively supported in the schools?

see the interview here