Music Education Should Be Taught In All Schools

The study found that when developing students are learning to play and instrument that they develop the ability to not just hear and appreciate the sounds of music differently but also process the sounds in a different way compared to kids of the same age not learning an instrument. This is due to learn to play an instrument help develop neurophysiological distinction which has been linked to aid and boost literacy and this which possibly improve success in academics. A quote that I believe is really great in driving home this point is by Nina Kraus in her book “Frontiers in Psychology” and that quote is, “We like to say that making music matters, Because it is only through the active generation and manipulation of sound that music can rewire the brain.” And she was saying this after hosting a study at Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Lab. And the experiment was to see if a music appreciation class had the same effect as actually learning and participating in band class. And they found that the kids that were in the process of learning an instrument has better of improved neural processing skills than the students who were only in music appreciation group.

Perhaps the most tangible benefit of music education for students is the increase in their performance in the classroom. People often say, “Music makes you smarter,” but where is the evidence? As South Dakota State University’s Professor Kevin Kessler eloquently stated via email, “How were you

Throughout history music has played an important role in society, whether it was Mozart moving people with his newest opera or the latest album from the Beatles. Where would society be today without music? With schools cutting their music programs, the next Mozart may not get his chance to discover his amazing talent. Music programs are essential to education. To fully understand this one must understand how music helps the human body, why schools have cut music programs, and why people should learn music.

Elementary schools and high schools across the U.S. have lately suffered from financial strain. Because of this, budget cuts have to be made and music programs often suffer before sports and academics. Although some people believe that music is not a key component in preparing for employment and higher education, yet several others express otherwise, who say music has been shown to stimulate other parts of a student’s mind that can help them excel. Statistics have shown that the correlation between music class and other academia is not only positive for students, but also can improve future scholastic abilities, and thus should not be cut from schools. Through the evaluation of various sources

* ““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).

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

Silence. This is what many people would hear if they walked into just one of the many music halls in a school whom has cut their music program. Many schools across the nation are suffering from severe budget cuts, and sadly music is far too often the first on the list to go. Music in the American public school system is often a way for students to express themselves and develop a sense of pride and devotion by being a musician. Yet, music education has been proven to improve young students’ cognitive capabilities, music programs are still being cut from the curriculum in schools across the nation. Funding, nation testing standards, availability, and participation are major factors whether a program may or may not stay in American classrooms, which demonstrates America’s destructive need for results from students to be tangible at the expense of the enjoyment of students.

First, When children play an instrument "he or she [develops] key brain [functions] that enhance musical learning but also academic and social skills which [...] [improve] memory and the ability to differentiate sounds and speech". As a result, this could mean that students who do not play a musical instrument will be lacking an important aspect that instrument playing students do have. Second, music has done so much that "research has proven that access to a quality music education engages students in the classroom and increases graduation rates". Participating with an instrument can ultimately help students perform better in an academic setting which can take students very far in life. Lastly, Public polls in America show that " 89% of principals feel that a high-quality music education program contributes to their school achieving higher graduation rates".

The issue/concern that I am bringing forth in my Capstone project deals with public education. More specifically, music education in secondary school within the public school system. In recent years, the arts have not been the priority in regards to funding and what our youth needs in terms of preparation for the real world. This is partially due to instituting ideas like NCLB (No Child Left Behind) to focus on just the essentials for children to learn. In the academic world, one may refer to this as essentialism in education. As a result, the arts have viewed as not something that is essential. My case originated from my own personal experiences as a music educator and seeing growth from music students.

Although music education does help increase productivity and overall education in schools, the decline of music can benefit some people. Not everyone in the school likes music. In fact, some people can’t even tolerate the thought of music. Either they don’t find any interest in it or they just are not good at it. People lose interest in things after a while if they don’t

Scientists have established the existence of strong links between music and personal development. They claim that playing an instrument can increase the student’s sense of achievement, self-esteem, confidence; persistence, punctuality and discipline (Gardiner et al. 1996)

Not only does music give students a more alert outlook or more critical mind on the word around them, it also gives musicians a better understanding of themselves. It gives them the confidence to know that they have accomplished something beautiful. Also, in sharing that accomplishment with others, in a medium such as a concert or recital, it allows them to open up musically and emotionally to others. This in turn makes a more emotionally healthy person.

Music strengthens a student’s memorization and comprehension skills as much, if not more, than any core subject they participles in at school. Playing an instrument is cognitively taxing. Notes and fret patterns not only requires memorization to be played in a song, but also promote hand eye coordination. Math is analogous to music. In math class a student learns how to problem solve by memorizing a sequential order. Musicians use the same method for learning a new song. According to a study published in the journal Psychology of Music “Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers.” As this research indicates student’s cognitive abilities are positively impacted by their participation in music training.

A 2003 study indicates that two years of music lessons can improve performance on arithmetic tests (Rauscher and LeMieux qtd. in Črnčec, Wilson, and Prior 583). In fact, music lessons can boost IQ levels simply because they provide a learning opportunity. The most widely cited neuro-scientific theory is one done by Leng and Shaw in 1991 which states:

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