Last modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 2:09 AM EDT KESSLER: Keep local schools alive with the sound of music Inevitably, when cuts are made at area schools, money too often is saved by cutting the arts and music programs. So, it's a testimony to the determination of the students and teachers when an affected program not only survives, but also manages to thrive. In North Attleboro, for example, the music program has much to be proud of despite enduring cuts over the years, including the elimination of an instrumental music program in the elementary grades, a less than ideal situation that has put a strain on the middle school band groups, which have lacked a feeder program for the last few years. Lately, some music parents, trying to rectify that oversight, have begun to push for an after-school program for elementary students. They have sent out surveys with parents to gauge interest, and appeared at a recent school committee meeting to plead their case. Their effort is laudable, because without an elementary instrumental program, it will be tougher to attract students to play in the middle school band, which is, of course, an important source of musicians for the high school program. Their efforts, from what I had the pleasure of witnessing last week, have been worthwhile. The band and choral groups from the entire system last Friday performed individually and together at the All-Town Concert at North Attleboro High School, and gave performances that were fun, highly competent and, at times, captivating. You want determination? Then how about those fourth- and fifth-graders from across the town's school system who volunteered to rehearse at their individual schools before coming together as a group for the first time at a brief rehearsal before the concert. The only way that the audience knew that the students had never practiced together before that night was because that fact was pointed out to us; you never would have known it from the performance, which was both enthusiastic and accomplished. Also playing and singing with zeal and a sense of professionalism were the middle school band groups (both the sixth- and seventh- and eighth-grade units), the middle school choral groups and the high school band and choral groups. And the evening's finale - a rousing rendition of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" by every student musician in the house - was simply sensational, and might have even pried a smile out of "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. The students and their conductors deserve a hearty round of applause for continuing to prove that, despite a popular misconception that music and the arts are expendable parts of the school day because there is no MCAS test to judge its "worthiness," music and the arts are indeed vital educational components. A couple of thanks Before I wrap up, here are a couple of thank-yous: To the students at Sneakers Preschool at the Attleboro YMCA for their nice thank-you letter, complete with colorful drawings, that they sent after I read a Red Sox book on the day before the home opener. The kids were too young to get the significance of "86 Years," which tells the story of the 2004 World Champions in poetry form accompanied by lush illustrations, but they were attentive and a couple of them volunteered that they're huge Pawtucket Red Sox fans. To Attleboro Police Officer Dave Wellman, who chatted with me during the 10K Attleboro YMCA race, when despite feeling pretty good and running faster than I've had in about six months, I ran most of the 6.2-miler in dead last. Wellman, driving the newly refurbished DARE vehicle used to trail the final runner, didn't have to stick around - I've been running that course so long that even with my lousy sense of direction, I couldn't have possibly gotten lost - but his presence did make finishing way in the back of the pack a tad easier to take. LARRY KESSLER (lkessler@thesunchronicle.com) is a Sun Chronicle local news editor.