Music In Schools

In harsh economic times, schools tend to cut music classes first. The current economic situation has not helped music classes. In an Arizona school district, the first classes cut were music classes (Rhoden). Rhoden states, “Tuesday evening, the Humboldt Unified School District Governing Board made the difficult decision to reduce the elementary music program…” When times get tough it seems to people that music is just not important enough to keep in the daily schedule. Current society puts a stress on reading and math. An article from CNN states,

Think back to your primary and secondary school years. Do you remember going to music classes? Learning how to pluck out simple songs on the piano, a xylophone, or a recorder; or learning how to sing out a catchy tune? Did you have as much fun as I remember having? This fun is about to come to an end for the coming generations. Public schools are beginning to cut music programs from their budgets altogether, so our children may never know the sweet solace of scratching out a simple song. Generally, music programs-- as well as fine arts as a whole-- at the primary and secondary levels are depicted as mere extracurricular activities that are only found appealing to specific types of students and, thus, hold no real purpose or benefit. It has

Across the United States many elementary school music classrooms are filled with simple and popular tunes such as Hot Cross Buns and The Ode to Joy, played on the recorder, while high school students may be playing collegiate or professional pieces of music such as Armenian Dances and Carmen Suites. I have been very fortunate to have gone on the journey of progressing through different music education programs within Fairfax County Public Schools. If I was never exposed to music while in elementary school I might not have ever found one of my greatest passions or been able to create such fond and unforgettable memories. While music education programs across the country appear large and strong, many schools are beginning to experience budget reductions. As a result, music is often the very first component of a school 's curriculum or programs to be cut or significantly reduced, but I believe this is not the right course of action. It is important to preserve and promote music education in public schools because of the proven cognitive, character,and academic benefits for students.

     With school budget cuts, and no music instruments, more and more people are beginning to realize the benefits of having music in education. Providing music as part of education helps develop intelligence that leads to greater success in school and in life. Everyone from VH1 Save The Music to The National Association For Music Education agree that, “Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.” These two companies are doing everything they can to get out the information about music, and the importance of resorting music education as part of the core curriculum.

This solution can be put into action in many ways. One way is for schools to let students listen to music in study halls or other times throughout the day that they are allowed to work on homework. This can cause students to be more productive and study more efficiently. A second way is that teachers can play quiet, background music in their classrooms while students take tests. This can create some background noise so it is not extremely silent in the class because too much silence can sometimes be distracting to students. It will also ease some of the nerves that they may have while taking the test. A third way to put music into schools is to use songs that help teach a certain subject that a class may be studying. An example of this would

“Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and by studying music in schools, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective” -Bill Clinton. Majoring in music will teach one the requirements and skills necessary for the job, advantages and disadvantages of teaching music to children, and how concert band and marching band differ from each other.

The stigma associated with pursuing an education in the musical arts affects the decision of many musicians nationwide. The appeal of guaranteed financial and career stability of STEM and other paths of high demand jobs is very difficult to pass up, even by the most dedicated musicians. Then, the input and advice of outsiders come into play. These onlookers not only encourage study of the hard sciences and a foolproof path to success via university, but they also totally and blatantly discourage and belittle the intelligence, rationality and integrity of not just the paths of musicians, but all liberal artists. Don’t you want to make money? What do you mean you won’t have internships, don’t you want a job? How are you going to survive? This blitzkrieg of questioning and doubt, though theoretically peripheral to the bigger picture, is reasonably common, however, severely unjustified. Pursuing a formal college education in music is easily one of the best things you could do for yourself, regardless of whether or not this is the career path of your choosing. As a student of formal music education, you are actually being trained in more real world skills than most other majors, which will prepare you for many careers, making you stand-out amongst the masses. Being a music major, you learn more than just music, you learn problem-solving skills, how to communicate and collaborate, and how to overcome failure, which are all essential skills to have as a professional in today’s day

Music education is often pushed to the side in terms of academics. It is often the victim of many budget cuts as it is seen as unnecessary and expensive. Looking from an outside point of view, most fail to realize how much of an impact music has on a student. The only loss they see when cutting a music program is that a student would simply no longer have the ability to learn an instrument. However, music education proves to provide much more knowledge and skills to a student than that.

For most American children, music class was considered one of the most exciting times of the school day. Music class was treated as a "break" from the normal curriculum of reading, math, science, and social studies. Music has been included in most American schools for several decades. However, due to budget cuts, our school district is eliminating the music program for the next school year. I feel that cutting extracurricular activities, such as sports and music, would be detrimental to our students.

Many people believe that the arts, specifically music programs, hold no beneficial value to students other than for an extracurricular activity. Others believe that having these programs within our schools, only takes away from instructional time. However, research has shown that music education, and exposure to music in general, provides great benefits and values to the adolescents that are involved in said programs (“Music Matters”). Participation in music programs promotes the advancement of academic scores and sets students on the path to success later in life. Furthermore, these programs, be it instrumental or vocal, provide an outlet for adolescents to express themselves and have truly lasting implications on their global development. Notwithstanding all of the pleasure and self-confidence gained through participation in music programs, music education may provide important benefits towards students’ academics by improving their concentration levels and cultivating higher order thinking skills that may increase academic achievement.

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.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said "A picture is worth a thousand words." It means that the image can have a greater impact than any words said. Art and music can have that effect. Most people would agree with him, but others would say that art and music is waste of time. Due to budget cuts and art and music classes being a distraction, schools have decided to eliminate art and music classes. On the other hand, students enjoy these classes just as much as young adults do in college. Our school needs more music and art departments because the classes fascinate the students and keep them in school, there are opportunities for scholarships, and students who take an interest in music education frequently do better than their peers in core classes.

Schools do not realize the effects that music has on these students. If music is taken away

The generation today learns in many different way, but the involvement of sounds and music in a classroom can be very beneficial towards schools and students. Music is a big part of human 's everyday life, it triggers the brain to stimulate advance and critical thinking. The mind starts to get healthier and allows the brain to remain fresh. Music is still being researched in how it can improve our brains and learning, but it is shown that it has been a useful resource for Alzheimer 's patients and babies. Age is not just a number when it comes to sounds, rhymes, and music it helps generate learning abilities for all ages even a newborn baby. Having sounds mixed with lyrics can move a person in more that one way, which is exactly why

Music is a universal passion. Whether you are three years old or ninety years old, whether you are a democrat or a republican, or whether you are from North America or Africa, everyone finds joy and comfort in music. Music plays such an immense role in the day to day lives of people all around the world. So, why is the funding for music programs all around the country being slashed? The debate over whether music programs in schools benefit or hinder children’s overall academic achievements. Proponents of the funding cuts argue that it simply costs too much money to sustain these music programs with all the instruments and sheet music they require, and that they are a distraction from the “more important” academic classes. On the other hand, opponents argue that providing kids with an education in music improves brain activity which in turn allows them to actually excel in other subject areas. While it is true that music can be distracting in some cases, it is extremely important to fund music programs in schools to give students the best academic opportunities possible.