Music Requirement in Schools
Is there an activity that can improve important life skills, overall health, and test scores? Well, there is such an activity that can be used to help many students learn skills that can help them both in school and in life. That activity is music education. Only Twenty Six (AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NV, NJ, NY, OK, SD, TN, VT, VA, WA, WV) states require one semester of a fine art and Twelve states (AK, DE, IN, KS, LA, NM, NC, OH, RI, SC, WI, WY) do not require any fine art credit of any kind. Three states (AL, AR, NH) require half of an arts credit. (http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofall?Rep=HS 01). Oregon requires Three credits between fine arts and foreign language. Hawaii
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It helps with math skills through rhythms that musicians have to read and count. “In order to read music you have to count notes and rhythms, which has the effect of improving your math skills. Learning music theory includes many mathematical aspects so it’s not surprising that it can help you understand things like fractions more effectively.” (Lauren Davis, 10 Good Reasons To Learn A Musical Instrument (It’s Not Too Late!),11/5/13, http://wxrt.cbslocal.com/2013/11/05/10-good-reasons-to-lea rn-a-musical-instrument-its-not-too-late/). In this quote, it explains how notes and rhythms can improve students math …show more content…
Music education helps to improve students’ concentration through notes, pitches, tempo, and rhythm. There is a lot to focus on when it comes to music and instruments. This high level of concentration every day can help students tremendously with their concentration skills. To paraphrase from Michael Matthews, a music teacher, and experienced french horn player, “Playing music requires you to concentrate on things like pitch, rhythm, tempo, note duration, and quality of sound.” This means that concentration is key to musical success when it comes to playing an instrument which can affect other aspects of your life like school, work,sports, etc. “...playing an instrument sharpens your brain, on every level: Betters your mathematical ability; improves your reading and comprehension skills; boosts your brainpower and concentration.” (Richard Bloomer, Top 8 Reasons Why Everyone Should Play a Musical Instrument, 3/17/15,http://www.pmtonline.co.uk/blog/2015/03/17/top-reasons-why-everyone-should-play-a-musical-instrument/). This quote means that playing an instrument helps your concentration as well as other things like helping the brain, number skills, and understanding and comprehending reading. Music education gives students the opportunity to improve their attention and concentration and do better in their other
Learning an instrument can be not only fun, but also good for them. Many students lack important skills because learning them is not always fun. In Band Class you can learn hand-eye coordination in an amusing way. Adapting hand-eye coordination and thinking skills is very beneficial to the mind and body because it can make you live a healthier and easier life. I have learned to type, and do other important things much faster. It also gives children a way to appreciate a type of art that had changed the
Another reason is music can be benefit for people’s brain development. Music uses both sides of the brain, thus resulting in the overall development of the brain. In fact, several researches proved that the all four of the cortex's lobes are activated when the brain is involved in musical activity. In fact, during these musical tasks, even the cerebellum of the brain is activated. A musician has to constantly make decisions about the elements of music, like form, timbre, melody, etc and also tempo, tone, rhythm etc. This helps in enhancing the ability of the brain to become very good at multitasking and organizational abilities. It improves abilities of expression and enhances intelligence of a person.
Music can help with learning. When our brain is damaged, it can find or create new pathways to function properly [Goldstein]. Music can provide the stimuli to create these new pathways and to help the brain rewire itself in the case of brain injury [Goldstein]. Music can help with your attention. By engaging our brain and our attention in the right ways, music is able to activate, sustain, and improve our attention [Goldstein]. Music can help with Neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, and can be greatly affected by the harmony of music and the brain [Goldstein]. Music can assist your brain in the ways you can perform in school.
One of the first things I found was that people who play and instrument have sharper and faster reaction times and also changes their brain structure and function for the better. In addition, it will improver long-term memory and lead to brain development. To back this up the University of Montreal study, slated to appear in the February issue of the journal Brain and Cognition, shows that musicians have significantly faster reaction times than non-musicians.
Kids who plays an instrument will have an easier time to concentrate in other classes. They tend to have an easier time because they can get into
There have been continuous studies that have found positive links between learning to play a musical instrument and mental development. In the article, “Music of the hemispheres: Playing instruments gives brains a boost,” Rachel Ehrenberg discusses the benefits of learning an instrument, saying “Evidence suggests that with musical training comes
There are many benefits to music. It’s a way for students to express themselves, create bonds, learn life skills, and improve their minds. Studies have shown that music can benefit a student academically, as well as mentally. Not only that, but if introduced in earlier childhood, music can actually help a child with their linguistic development. As stated by Laura Lewis Brown in her article The Benefits of Music Education, “While children come into the world ready to decode sounds and words, music education helps enhance those natural abilities.” (1). I have been in band since I was in the
It reduces risks of heart diseases, cancers, enhances the immune system, and reduces chronic stress. If we take a music lesson or two, that musical training can help raise our IQs and even keep us sharp in old age notwithstanding. In addition, music is a factor of socialization and facilitates establishing communication with unfamiliar people and
Music gives students a better sense of problem solving. Whether you’re figuring out difficult jazz rhythms, or trying to solve a complicated algebra question, the same methods of problem solving contribute to the processes in which we deal with both. Memorization is a big deal in many classes students take throughout school. Music contributes towards helping students memorize. When looking at sheets that to the untrained eye like just a bunch of random dots on a page, students are learning more than
Auditory, memory and verbal/nonverbal reasoning skills have all been proven to be benefited from musical training. The above skills are used every day and are therefore unavoidable. Additionally, the academic performance of students with musical training has been proven to be higher than that of those without musical training by the American Psychological Association. With that being said, these intellectual skills are not limited to just students. They are not any less vital than they are once you reach adulthood. Work, relationships, and everyday lives require these skills too. Thus, musical training benefits you throughout life by strengthening intellectual skills that help you throughout life.
It keeps us motivated. At Johns Hopkins University, a man named Chris Boyd Brewer did an article about how music helps us. He claims that music establishes a positive learning state, energizes learning activities, focuses concentration, improves memory, provides inspiration and motivation, and releases tension. These are all types of things that could help benefit some people in the academic side of school. Another thing, from past experiences, I’ve learned things through music. Whether it’s memorizing the lyrics, or it has a cool tune. Everyone knows a couple songs by hearts, imagine this being converted to useful things, like how to memorize and equation in math, or how to use there, their, and they’re. When it gets memorized, it stays in the brain forever, and is always there when the information is
Playing and listening to instruments help strengthen parts of the brain. For one, “science has shown that when children learn to play music, their brains begin to hear and process sounds that they couldn’t otherwise hear” (Locker 1). One of the main importances of playing music is listening to know when a note has gotten off key. The ability of picking up wrong notes help people listen more closely without having to think about it. Another example, “researchers found that after two years, children who not only regularly attended music classes, but also actively participated in the class, showed larger improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers” (Locker 1). These children were more attentive
Music has also been shown to increase a student's skills at problem solving and analysis. Many studies have shown that learning to read music or play a musical instrument can lead to the development of a person's higher thinking skills. Reading music uses the mathematical portion of the brain. In fact, many musicians also excel at math.
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.
Although there are a great amount of studies and articles that support that music education is essential in public schools, there are still some studies that have found that there is no benefit other than improving your musical knowledge when taking a music education class in Elementary and High School. These articles have debunked tests on different studies that have been proven to be true for the promotion of music education. In saying this, these articles are not saying that music education is bad or unneeded, they are just saying that there is no real benefit that music education has in helping students improve the development of their language, improve their math scores, and enhance their spatial and cognitive skills. Music education is