Does Music Help Students Gain Confidence And Higher Grades?

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

Music is a way for people to express themselves without having to make a drastic change. The reason I started to play music was because I love music in general to start off with and wanted the challenge of learning how to play an instrument. In sixth grade year there were probably 120 kids in band. Slowly through my band years many kids have dropped out. By the time I made it to the high school there were maybe 30 band students in, my grade and Mr. Rice the band director said, “They weren't able to handle it because band isn't easy.” One you have been in band you don't realize if you struggle or if you can't handle band and it's not a bad thing that students drop out of band. It just shows that they have decision making skills and don't want to hinder the other students acceleration in the class.

* ““95% percent of Americans believe that music is a key-component in a child’s well-rounded education, 80% percent of respondents agreed that music makes the participants smarter; 78% believe that learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subject areas; and 88% believe participation in music helps teach children discipline” (Hurley 3),” (par 1).

Music programs plays a very important part in education. Students should be required to play an instrument in school because it improves memory skills, teaches students how to be responsible, and learn to stay with something.

It can teach you to never to give up. Music education can transform you through the lessons you take and make you a different person. It can improve your grades and even make you a leader if you were never thought to be one. Music is also very good for your brain. Studies show that when listening to or playing music, you engage multiple parts of your brain. You use most parts of your brain including the visual, auditory, and motor cortices. playing an instrument helps you to strengthen and apply the new strengths to other activities. Playing an instrument also builds the brain’s corpus callosum, which is the bridge between the right and left sides of the brain, which helps people to solve problems in different, more efficient ways.

Peter Greene in his article, “Stop Defending Music Education”, suggests that public schools need music for many reasons. In addition to emphasizing that public schools need music education not because it increases test scores, but for many other reasons rather than the obvious reason. Greene is surely right about people defending music education for the wrong reasons, because as he may not be aware, recent studies have

Being a music teacher improves neural activity. Playing an instrument requires more use of the brain than regular, every-day, activities. Fine tunes and auditory skills which form a better sense of sharper hearing and the ability to predict a pattern. It can create emotional development, emotional encouragement and helps with self-esteem and anxiety. It can develop critical thinking and it provides students with endless opportunities to be creative and original.

Playing an instrument can be very expensive. It is not fair for kids to be required to play an instrument. Yes musical instruments make kids enjoy school more, yes it improves certain skills.

Using musical training in band classes improves their grades in the rest of the class. After learning music, the language they learn will become more understandable. According to Albert Einstein, anyone takes music practice has their grades increase by 20%. Also, his mother is a musician. Musical training has a special relationship with math. It also improves their reasoning abilities. All of the music will improve their grades to become extra successful.

I believe music is a good tool to not only help children learn, but relieve stress. For example, when you learn a musical instrument, you are able to learn discipline and hard work. It takes brain power to learn how to properly use an instrument. Learning a new instrument will also give students a scene

With many benefits such as teamwork and responsible risk taking (20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools). You will learn teamwork from being in a band or orchestra, which leads to all of the other benefits, such as responsible risk taking. The arts lead to responsible risk taking because when you perform a piece of music or display your art, you will have fear and worry about what people think about it (20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools). This shows that the arts help you learn teamwork and responsible risk taking. Music and art can also do many other things such as less stress, higher self-confidence, and get higher attendance and graduation rates (Draw Your Stress Out With a pencil & brush) (20 Important Benefits of Music In Our

Former Bill Clinton quotes “Music is about communication, creativity and cooperation. By studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives and experience the world from a new perspective.” Music gives life to the musician and the listener. Without it, what would life sound like? What would the streets of the Cherry Blossom Festival sound like? Where would the melody of everyday life be if students couldn’t hear music as they walk by the band room? How is emotion expressed without beats and harmonizing sounds? There would be nothing.

Countless studies have proven time and time again that a student’s performance in school is greatly increased when they learn to play an instrument. The studies discuss the “Mozart Effect,” which says that listening to Mozart’s music can increase a child’s ability for spatial reasoning, as well as help brain development. The studies also cite the fact that many of history’s most intelligent men, like Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, played one or more musical instruments. These studies are wrong. Students should not be required to learn an instrument, because it does not help them perform better in school.

In recent years it’s become noticeable that students are using all different forms of music to help them while studying or doing homework. When listening to music one may notice how that person may tap their foot or drum their fingers, even though they appear to be focused on the task in front of them. The rhythm of the piece, whether it is fast or slow, causes the listener’s heartbeat to synch with it (How Music Affects Our Mood, 2014). The question however is which music to listen to. In some studies, test subjects show that the louder the music the more distracted the subjects became (Manthei, 2014). Doctor Emma Gray, a clinical psychologist in Britain, says, “If you choose the right music for the topic you are

Music. It’s different to everyone, even if everyone happened to be listening to the same thing. There are health and emotional benefits that come with playing an instrument. It’s so important that every student gets a musical education because knowing an instrument is comparable to you exercising a muscle; music is exercising the brain! The auditory cortex is working hard to process the sound, while the nucleus accumbers, amygdala, and cerebellum are working hard to make you feel. Oh, and you know when you know your favorite part of the song is coming up? Well, that’s when your prefrontal cortex is being activated and is getting anxious (“This is Your Brain on Music” by Knowing Neurons). Being involved in music helps students do better in other subjects. Our brain works harder when we play music, and it increases IQ and improves spatial-temporal skills, which is when students can see elements that should go together, which improves math skills (PBS Parents, “The Benefits of Music Education”). Music affects everyone, reading this might help you realize the beauty of music, learn how it affected me meticulously, and other things about music education.