Some astute observations from Mickey Hart and Frederic Lieberman on the topic of our survival:

No human society, present or past, has lacked music. Music is therefore one of the very few human universals, which puts it on the same level as food and sex.


It follows that any tendency to consider music as a "luxury" is dangerous. This patently false idea leads to devaluing music in general education, often to the point of eliminating it entirely when budgets are tight. That Plato, Confucius and many other great thinkers have held music to be the indispensable cornerstone of education should help strengthen the resolve of parents and educators to make music part of every home and to maintain and strengthen music programs in our schools.
[ Spirit into Sound: The Magic of Music ]