Keep Music Education in Schools Essay

Many schools around the country are cutting their music program because of budget cuts in their counties. The arts for some reason are always the first to be cut; apparently the school doesn’t think they are essential to their students learning. Schools try to focus on the more important academic classes because of the high testing standards they must now meet. (Nesoff 2003) This is not just happening in poor school districts it is happening in large districts across the country including magnet schools for the arts: “When Albert Margolis and his wife attended the final music program for their son's kindergarten class in May, they were shocked when a teacher stood up after the performance and

Hi Frank, I agree with you that the article The Musical Infant is fascinating and I would like to add some information to it. It's recognized that when an infant is in the womb and is exposed to music they can recall this music after they are conceived. To be exact, studies propose that playing music to a baby in the womb, and in early youth years, helps the brain to develop. Some believe that exposure to music while in the womb additionally adds to expand intellectual capacity. Be that as it may, others doubt this and the subject stays questionable. Similarly, there's a lot of research indicating how classical music stimulatingly affects the body and psyche, which thus can prompt enhanced physical and enthusiastic wellbeing, and can help

It is clear that even in the early stages of life, the body entrains itself to the music of the surrounding environment, whether it be the sounds of voices, machines, instruments, or silence. While this research is still in its preliminary stages, it shows that the simple act of listening to music in the early stages of life could have a drastic impact on the patient’s future quality of life (Drahota, et al., 2012).

Picture yourself walking through a hallway in a high school The same hallway that every Friday afternoon the band marches down playing music for the football game pep rally. Or, visualize walking by the auditorium and hearing the beautiful, distinct voices of each person in the choir. Now, picture that same school but with no music education, no band, and no glee clubs. Imagine that group of kids for whom music was a major part of their world. Where do you see these kids now? Lost? Hurting? Not able to cope or fit in to a group of people? Wondering where they belong? Music education is slowly getting eliminated in public schools. Without these ensembles, kids do not have a way to express their feelings and are not able to connect with other

Music and music experiences support the formation of important brain connections that are being established over the first three years of life (Carlton 2000). Musical experiences are helpful for academic achievement in childhood, because music actually accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills. (The University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute) Moreover, music ignites all areas of child development and skills for readiness intellectual,

There are copious amounts of schools across the U.S who have dropped their music programs because of funding and academic issues. School districts that are losing funding find themselves desperately searching for alternatives to save money. (Bryant) They discover that the easiest and possibly best area to cut funding in is music because of the enormous amount of money that goes into the program for various essentials. The additional funds that aren’t being spent on instrument repairs or sheet music will be spent on areas that school districts believe require more monetary attention, such as mathematics and reading. (Fang) The idea at play is that cutting the music program will kill two birds with one stone. Other departments in the school that need more funding will gain

How early are the benefits of music in our lives apparent? How can music in the lives of our children affect them positively developmentally? The answer to these questions may not necessarily surprise many, but it is likely that most people don’t realize just how important music can encourage development in children and in how many areas. Additionally, with the knowledge we now know about how early auditory development occurs in babies, we see that music may begin to play its part in our children’s lives even before birth.

Music, the fine, and performing arts, as well as athletics, are also integral to a child’s healthy development. Learning to play an instrument, sing, dance, act, throw and catch, are critical for children’s developing awareness of the

Additional sub-genres propelled music’s influence on the world. Music is important in fostering English language education, introducing new languages, and personal expression. Music has a significant influence on early language development. Humanity has a basic need to communicate with one another, and spoken language is the chosen mode of communication. In her article, Enhancing Language Skills Through Music, Charlotte Mizener discusses several methods of incorporating music with early language development in children, beginning with the Orff approach to music.

Although the impact of music on the developing brain isn't fully understood, according to de l'Etoile: "We know from previous research that infants have the innate ability to process music in a subtle manner."

Besides, the inclination that infants have for music have a hereditary component and an additional environmental factor (Trehub, 2001). There are behaviors present in the baby that demonstrate that they are not inactive audience members, they deliver their own particular coordinated sounds moving head and limbs in light of specific sounds. This is particularly genuine when there is communication with

Music Education is just as important as Language Arts and Math; all Elementary schools should be required to offer music education. First, there is research which suggests the same portion of the brain used to process music is also responsible for language and problem-solving skills. Music classes will engage the younger children and keep education fun while developing the area of the brain required for language and thinking skills. Second, nearly everyone enjoys music while singing and clapping to the beat; students will develop the pattern recognition necessary for reading, writing, and math. Finally, there have been studies showing a direct connection between schools with music programs and higher test scores in core subjects. If we want children to score well in other core subjects, schools need to invest time and money in Elementary School Music Education programs.

Infants recognize melodies of songs long before they can understand the words. Early on infants try to mimic sounds and start moving to the sounds as soon as they are physically able to. A toddler loves to dance and move to music and sing familiar songs. One of the key factors for music play for a toddler is to have songs that are repetitive. This will encourage the toddler to use the words and try to memorize them. Using silly songs will make them laugh, and singing a familiar song will help keep them engaged. Preschoolers enjoy singing just to sing. Preschoolers like to sing and move to music. They like to sing songs that repeat words and melodies, and songs with a definite beat, and songs that ask them to do different movements. Preschoolers often make up their own sounds and sing to themselves as they play. There is no disadvantage to bringing children together through music and through fun musical movement activities. Musical play can enrich and benefit any child through their

“How many days do you go without listening to music?” For almost every person, the answer to that question is zero. That question came from the words of Celeste Labonte, a high school Chorus and music education teacher at Barrington High School. The question, although it may seem rhetorical or unimportant, actually explains the importance of music in present day culture. The world today would be nothing without music and its constant, everyday influence on all levels of society. Despite this impact throughout culture, music education funding in the United States is being drastically reduced , forcing school districts to cut music programs and classes because of the supposed lack of importance in comparison to "core classes" like math, history, and literature. In many cases, programs of the arts, especially music, are being shut down completely. Recent studies however, have shown increasing benefits with kids who are involved in music education. Research has proven that people receive better test scores and attain academic proficiency on a higher average than those that are not involved with music. The benefits are not just within test scores however, they also reside in scientific evidence that reveal increased memory, auditory, and reasoning capabilities in the brain from people who are involved in music. Despite its supposed “lack of importance” in comparison to core classes, music education programs should be required in

Although many, one positive way music education is beneficial to students is that it has a large impact on brain stem growth. With the incorporation of music in a student’s daily life, the brain stem’s responses become more robust (Brown). Therefore, the amount of brain stem growth correlates with recent musical training. As stated by Brown, an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore, “student’s that are involved with a large amount of music will see more gains in brain stem growth”. Furthermore, the neural changes that occur in students as adolescents stay with them into adulthood (“Music Matters”). This allows students to be more prepared once they go into the workforce as adults. Along with the brain stem’s responses being more robust, it’s sensitivity to sound increases (“The Benefits” 1). This is abundantly evident from early on, as mother’s sing to their infants to facilitate brain stimulation and development. Enrichment through music, starting at a young age, seems to improve individuals speech sound development and use of more advanced vocabulary. Adolescents’ language also improves with the use of music in a student’s academics (Miller 46). Luehrisen