The Positive Effects Of Music Development

Billy Joel said, “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music” (Music Quotes). Whether we realize it or not, music affects our lives greatly. The only thing for us to question is how. How does music impact your life and the lives of others? What does music do for us? People of all ages benefit emotionally, physically, and academically from music.

Great music can sometimes can turn just an ordinary day into something magical, spiritual even. The effects music has on the human mind, can spread further; right through our genetic code and throughout our bodies. With all the good that can come with music, negative effects are not too far behind. Music has been the center focal point for parents and politicians alike to use it as a scapegoat to help push their political and parent agenda. To help mold children and adolescents into something they were never meant to be.

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

* “when you speak with great educators, and look behind the test scores, the lessons learned in studying music, learning to play an instrument, playing in a band, learning to read music, all provide a richness to a child's education that will last a lifetime,” (par 1).

Some people think that music can positively influence the listener while others disagree and argue that it has a negative impact. Mark Edmundson, the author of “Can Music Save Your Life?,” asserts through his own experience and the research of others that music solely “preserves” the listener’s life as a “balm—cortisone spread” (paragraph 25). His use of a well-known medical supplement makes it more relatable and believable to the reader. The authors of “Feeling the Beat” support Edmundson by stating that they observed an increased sense of confidence in oneself and one’s beliefs in the people they interviewed(Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 346). Their main support is the quote from one of their interviewee’s who said, “We can identify what they are talking about” (Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 343). This not only explains why students listen to certain types of music, but also why it can have such an impact on them. Derek Iwamoto, John Creswell, and Leon Caldwell declare their statement that positive influence of music by stating that the majority of the students they observed used their music as a way to

Music is arguably one of the world’s most important universal languages. Documentation of music can be found as early as Biblical days and can be heard all around. Think about all the places one is exposed to music: radio, TV, elevator, stores, restaurants etc. Every culture and country has its own style of music and the importance of music is paramount to individuals in many ways. Music is so powerful it can create a visceral response by lowering the heart rate and decreasing stress levels (Wright, 2017). Evidence has also shown music to activate areas of the brain that are engaged during “Other euphoria inducing stimuli such as food, sex, and drugs of abuse” (Wright, 2017, p. 3). Music, sound perception – the most powerful sense, can impact the way one feels and behaves (Wright, 2017). With evidence proving to have an impact on the brain both physically and emotionally, supporting a 5% tax increase to fund both curricular and extracurricular programs will enhance student’s development and provide to them a well-rounded education.

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,

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

Music has elements which tie in with other school subjects such as math and history. When first learning music and the counting for each note, it can represent simple fractions that is learned in third grade math. Students can learn the different genres of music and the history behind what they love. In addition to the early exposure of basic education, music can also expand one’s knowledge in other subjects. Listening and learning music can stimulate parts of the brain that the simple reading, writing, and mathematics classes can’t. It has been said before that listening to classical music can stimulate certain neurons in the brain, which improves test scores. Overall, music can be beneficial to all aspects of

Children who have studied music tend to have bigger vocabularies as well as having more advanced reading skills than children who do not participate in music.” (Music Academy. "Statistical benefits of music in education.") “Regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, students (3rd graders) who participate in high-quality music programs score higher on reading and spelling tests.”(Hille,. "Associations between music education, intelligence, and spelling ability in elementary school.".) “Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training.” (National Association for Music Education. "The Benefits of the Study of Music.")A recent study found that compared to the age, IQ- matched typically developing children participants with autism demonstration elevated pitch discrimination ability as well as superior long-term memory for

To many people, music is a significant part to their daily lives and its role varies depending on the individual. I personally use music as a form of escape from reality and a tool to help me focus in certain situations. Other use music as an entertainer, an energizer, a coping mechanism or even as a stimulant. Due to this, music is able to play a developmental role in creating one’s identity.

Child music development, across the many elements of music, shows that a child’s understanding of these various elements definitely improves with age but only slightly improves with training. Children possess certain fundamental pitch capacities, understand more complex rhythmic ratios, make sense of timbral information, and can make sense of unfamiliar music from it’s structure and form. Children are born somewhat able to do all of the above, but understands more and more the older they get, and sometimes with the more musical training they have. Thus, older children are more capable of understanding the more complex elements of music, which can be a result of increased cognitive development but also of more musical training.

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

Today, school districts have been devaluing the importance of music. School districts are forced to cut spending on music education and replace it with other important classes, such as physical education. Music classes were the first to be cut because given a small to budget elementary schools, school officials have seen that music classes were unnecessary to education and believe that it has no benefit. I disagree with this statement because I believe it is crucial to have music education at a young age. Luckily, when I was in elementary school, there was still music education and has influenced me to become a musician because music has helped me with school and work. Having music education allows a child’s brain to develop a fully active brain, since music functions the creative side of the brain. However, studies have shown that music has helped with the left side of the brain as well, allowing students to build thinking skills and raise test scores such as the SAT.

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