Music is the emotion of the soul. Music is ordained of God. Music is the glory of our lives. Our arts and music community performances in Salt Lake County are vital to our mental, physical and spiritual health. Unlike the various sports events around the city, the arts are so necessary to our daily living experience that they must be supported by whatever means available to keep them thriving and alive.

The Arts Tax Proposal, so-called in the upcoming November election, is absolutely necessary to keep the ballet, theater, opera, musicals, and other cultural and community art performances going. These artists, for the most part, work for pennies on every dollar that goes into the survival funds for these various performing arts. They do it for the love of their music, their acting and their dancing.The public only appreciates the beautiful art forms they choose to go and see. Perhaps they do not know of the lifetime dedication these artists give to their art. But when I attend the symphony, as I do each week as a volunteer usher, I notice the great intensity they play with, the technique they have perfected, and the finest sound this side of the Rocky Mountains ever to be heard.

I watch the timpani player and his preciseness on his four instruments and the wonderful way he listens and plays for his conductor. I watch the fine-tuning of the violin section, the unison performance they all produce for the maestro. My eyes go to the eight basses, the equal number of cellos, and the violas, who all play as if they were giving their finest performances and who give their utmost attention to their leader.

How can we think of letting them go away into the night, never to play for Salt Lake City again? This is what the prediction is for this wonderful Utah Symphony and other arts if we fail to back the Nov. 5 County Proposal #1.

Please support the arts proposal this year when you go to the polls. Please go to the polls and vote for the survival of our great orchestra, our wonderful ballet, our Utah Opera and any other cultural events falling under the county proposal. We cannot afford to let it fail. Our souls depend on it.

Joyce Tucker

Salt Lake City

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