The Music Of Music And Music

I. Plato, a Greek philosopher once said “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.”

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.

James A. Keene has gathered an incredible amount of information on the interesting beginnings of music education in the United States. This text offers deep insight and a plethora of information regarding the beginnings of an area of education which has largely been neglected by scholars. For decades and in current teaching populations, the historical foundation and insight first developed by music educators from the earliest colonial times through present day has been unknown. From the introduction of vocal music to the growing interest of orchestral and band music and the a cappella choir movement, reactions to music remained both positive and negative, leading to continued advocation for music in the curriculum, arguing that music offered skill development and appreciation through exposure and practice.

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.

“I get that music programs are under intense pressure, that all across America they are sitting hunched over with one nervous eye on a hooded figure stalking the halls with a big budgetary ax”, states Peter Greene. It has become common today to dismiss music’s contribution to the field of education. In the article “Stop Defending Music Education”, written by Peter Greene, the issue if obvious. What the issue is whether or not public schools should teach music and art, since so many students are below proficient levels in “more basic” subjects like reading and math.

Music can help people in many ways. Music is known to help people with memory and languages problems by helping them remember and learning how to speak again. It can also improve your health and productivity and it serves as a form of expression, as well as a way for teenagers to understand and identify some emotions that they might be feeling. Listening to music is also good for people who are under a lot of stress, so they can relax and sleep better. Because taking music lessons can also improve many skills, it's recommendable to get involved with it to help yourself in school or work. For patients with mental illnesses, like Alzheimer and dementia, taking music therapy can be really helpful mentally, physically and emotionally.

Music has been around for thousands of years. Edward Bailey Birge, former Indiana University music professor, and author of the History of Public School Music in the United States, credits Lowell Mason (a leading figure of American church music) for beginning music education in America back in the 1830’s. Mason helped spread Bostons teaching of music education. From the 1830’s until the late 1920’s music education didn’t receive much attention. Though the subject was acknowledged in some schools across the country students did not have access to a proper music education. That was until the late 1920’s Edward Bailey Birge began the fight for music education. Along with being an auth Birge was also a founding member of the Music Supervisors National

Our interactions with it, the changes that have transpired, and the way in which we pass on and instruct the next generation through music is extremely vital. Music education has frequently proven to be beneficial to the “subjects” involved, both students and their teachers. This type of classroom’s mission is to ultimately carry out a synchronized musical performance; in order to execute it correctly, adherence to the “division of labor” is crucial. Akin to formal writing, music has a set of “rules” for ordering components, such as chords, intervals, and notes. Each child is assigned an instrument and a piece to play as their “mediating artifact”. It is not necessarily always about how well a student plays that matters, but the constant use of different senses, muscles, and brainpower, that improves literacy development and may even expand the brain’s capacity for neural connections. In upper-level schooling, institutions with music programs have recorded higher test scores, graduation rates, and overall attendance, compared to those lacking art

Three fifths of the United States have made cuts to their music programs. Studies have shown that schools with good music education programs help students perform better on standardized tests. Many famous businessmen and woman also attribute their success to their musical background. Therefore schools should have strong music education programs so their students develop necessary skills for their careers, communicate better with others, and score higher on tests.

It seems that from the beginning of time, music has been an important part of people’s lives. However, today, it seems that the number of people who advocate the everlasting presence of music is dwindling, and the number of people only concerned with economic stability and the core curriculum in schools is rising. Budgets in schools are being cut, and the music programs are usually at the beginning of the list when a particular area is to be disbanded. Action is being taken against the loss of music education in schools, and the people fighting to save and rejuvenate this precious resource have established many strong arguments. Meghann C. Russell of Towson University says , "Several studies have shown that

A music teacher ( or music instructor) is a bit of new occupation. It wasn't until 1717 that America had its first school soley devoted to music. At the time the only use for music was for religious purposes, such as church services. In the 19th century, Lowell Mason wrote his music book, Manual of Instruction. Upon writing the book, Mason also starting teaching at Hawes school, and thus starting the music education in public schools. Music eventually became apart of public school curriculum. Eventually colleges offered Music Education as a Bachelor's degree.

“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 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

When delving into the historical music and sounds of the South for research purposes one might need to encounter a website with all the content they require. According to the website, https://folkways.si.edu/ known as “Folkways”, a subset page from the archives of the Smithsonian museum discusses material relating to the American South, but most of the content pertaining to music. With music being the primary focus of the website, it did not exclude text to appear and offer further insight to the topic. A web site containing audio and textual resources for furthering one’s knowledge about the South can be deemed as being an educational site. Offering audio tracks of Southern Blues and

On the highway there is always noise. The sound of cars honking and rushing by is all I can hear. I hit the FM button on my radio. When the radio comes on, I hear a song I have never heard before. Really enjoying it, I sing along and jam out to it. The music is the soundtrack to my drive. It blocks out the sound of the highway winds and cars driving by. An hour later, I get back into my car and hear the same song. I sing along but do not jam as enthusiastically this time. After hearing that same song more than ten times in a week, I feel as if I am a movie character who is stuck in the same scene singing the same song. I am tired of hearing the instrumental of the song; I get bored of singing the melody I once enjoyed. I flip through different radio stations and hear the same old songs I always hear. Giving up on the radio, I hook up my phone to my car with Bluetooth and play my own music. I open up Spotify and hit play. Spotify makes a playlist that plays songs it thinks you will like based on what you have listened to in the past. Fresh melodies flood my car; fresh harmonies flow through my speakers. Song after song, I hear something I have never heard before. Like a lot of people, I do not buy my music. I listen to it through music streaming companies like Spotify. Streaming companies are nice because you can listen to almost any song or album for free. It saves a lot of money because songs are usually $1.29 and albums are around $12.99. This has become an