Can Public School Music Programs Survive the Tea Party?

Budget cuts are, as Natasha Bedingfield might say, unwritten. That could change.

As a child, Natasha Bedingfield went to a small community school in a rough area of East London. Fortunately, she had plenty of access to musical instruments and instruction, and today she's an international pop star on the verge of releasing her third album.

"You can find trouble everywhere," she says. "I feel like music was a way that I could channel frustration and energy. I had teachers who made it very...