Scott Laird is a man about music, whether it's working with artists like the Dave Matthews Band, recording his own work or instructing students at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics.

Today, he'll lead 100 students from Brogden, Carrington, Githens and Rogers-Herr middle schools; Northern and Riverside high schools and Durham School of the Arts in Durham Public Schools' Honors Strings Festival Concert. The free event, to be held at NCSSM, 1219 Broad St., will start at 3 p.m.

Laird, 42, a nationally renowned strings educator, has spent about 21 years teaching music, the last nine at NCSSM. He is the chairman of the N.C. Music Educators Association's orchestra division and has been a guest conductor across the country. The Durham News spoke with Laird recently about the state of music education.

DOES MUSIC MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION?

A: The short answer is yes. There are lots of examples that would show incredible strong correlation between students that study music and students who achieve academically. The correlation is undeniable. There's a lot of theories about that correlation, the need for higher thinking in music resulting in higher thinking elsewhere and vice-versa.

WHAT'S THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND MUSIC?

The connection is a correlation between the two. What there isn't, [necessarily], is proof that one causes the other. So do music students tend to achieve academically? Yes. Do high-achieving students tend to be interested in music? Yes.

IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN MATH PERFORMANCE AND MUSIC?

I think there's a great number of mathematic concepts that are easily applied to music and performance. Notated rhythms by nature are mathematical. Pitch relationships by nature are mathematical and harmonic relationships by nature are mathematical. So yes, there's a correlation I think is undeniable.

WHAT CAN STUDENTS LEARN FROM MUSIC?

The first thing my 10-year-old has learned, and I can say this about all my students, is discipline. In order to achieve musically, a student has to be disciplined. They need to practice regularly. They have to be willing to see that small steps over time yield great achievements.

But another one is the power of team. The power of ensemble, the summary of many parts, is much greater than the individuals. And that's my job in the two days of the festival, to get that point across. It's a huge lesson that can be applied to a student's life.

WHY ARE MUSIC PROGRAMS OFTEN THE FIRST TO BE CUT FROM SCHOOL BUDGETS?

I think the bottom line is pressure. When there are finite hours in the day for teachers and that time has to be divided and they know there's pressure to pass federal and state tests in math and science and other subjects, and music is not included in that, it's an easy drop.

And yet with music in a curriculum, there are so many points of departure into those areas that can be beneficial to a program.

WHY HAS JAZZ BECOME POPULAR IN HIGH SCHOOLS?

One of the national standards in music education ... includes improvisation. Another standard is relating music to different cultures. So to that extent, jazz fits both of those categories. It's an African-American art form at its beginnings and it involves improvisation. And as a result, alternative string styles is a big part of music curriculums across the country.

WILL THERE EVER BE A MUSICAL RENAISSANCE IN HIGH SCHOOLS?

We can only hope. I think it all comes down to commitment, commitment of individual high school districts and the broader commitment of state departments of education to keep music programs as a vital part of the curriculum, which they absolutely should. I've noticed in North Carolina that music programs start much later than they used to.

Now the beginning of instrumentals, in many areas of the state, is moved all the way to middle school. It takes its toll on the quality of middle-school and high-school programs because of the late start.