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Everyone knows of the recent decline to our nation’s economy. From a failing job market, to rising food, and gas prices, the United States’ economy hasn’t been good to anyone who lives here. However, some of the worst damage to the economy has been to our nation’s schools. Due to budget cuts forced on by the government, school districts and townships all over the nation have been forced to make drastic changes. School’s everywhere have been forced to cut teachers, library aids, close schools, have students pay for transportation, and even cut classes from school curriculums. Perhaps the most important classes, that we may not even know have such a big impact on us, are being cut. These classes are music classes. The classes include choir, band and orchestra. Eliminating music classes from school curriculums is a bad decision because these classes are essential to a student’s academic growth and development.
To some people, it may not seem that classes such as band, choir, and orchestra are important, but these classes aren’t just for entertainment. “Kids who receive music training often improve across the board in academics,” finds psychologist Martin Gardiner of Brown University. “They [music students] just shoot ahead in math. This can’t be explained by social effects or attention alone. There’s something specific about music,” says Gardiner (Begley 3). These classes can help students improve in school, including in certain math classes. In 1997, Gordan Shaw, of the University of California and Irvine and Frances Rauscher, of the University of Wisconsin, did a study. It included a test given to 83 students. Twenty-six of the participating students were given instruction on how to play the piano, plus instruction on how to play...
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My mom required my three siblings and I to take piano lessons for at least two years when we were younger. I enjoyed playing, so when my two years were up I decided to keep going. I played for another four years, but my life started to get busy and I had too many things on my plate, so I quit piano for good. I have somewhat regretted my decision, and noticed a decline in my math skills during the past two years, and other areas in school as well. The absences of math and cognitive skills will dramatically affect a person’s life, because without these skills it makes it very hard to become a successful person in the world’s view. Contrary to what the New York Times article, “Music and Success” by Samuel Mehr stated, listening to music or playing
Mannes, Elena. "www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136859090/the-power-of-music-to-affect-the-brain." Mannes, Elena. The Power of Music to Affect the Brain. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.
Since 2008, approximately 80% of school districts in America have experienced cuts within their arts budget (Metla, 2015). Legislation at the federal and state levels have enabled these drastic and controversial cuts. No Child Left Behind enforced Common Core standards ensured t...
Many schools consider art, music, and physical education programs ‘fluff’ classes, which is why when schools are looking for a place to save money those are some of the programs that are first to go. Claire Suggs, Senior Education Policy Analysts for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, found that “about 42 percent of districts are reducing or eliminating art or music programs and 62 percent are eliminating elective courses” (“Cutting Class” #1). Art and music programs should not be cut because they allow students to explore their creativity and improve problem solving skills. On the
Students enrolled in music classes and lessons have higher test scores than the students who are not enrolled in these classes. Music education has a strong impact on the success of a student in the classroom. "Music majors have the highest SAT scores in all areas" (Mickela “Music and Student Development”). Th...
Much too often in America today, modern music and art programs in schools are perceived to many as extracurricular activities rather than important subjects that are vital to a students learning and skill development. The truth of the matter is that encouraging music and art education in public schools has a much larger impact on student’s grades, academic performance, and the economy than the majority people realize. Within the next year city school budgets will be dropping by twenty five percent, and despite the fact that music and art programs have been showing a dramatic contribution to student’s learning, this substantial drop in funding for the programs will lead to no dedicated money for art or music programs (Mezzacappa). There is no doubt that a cut in funding for art programs will take a huge toll on students overall grades and test scores. Research has found that the studying of music and art facilitates learning in other subjects and enhances children’s skills in other areas (Brown). Furthermore, providing students with a creative outlet can do great justice in reducing the stress from many other classes and even offer insight for students in possible career paths involving the art field. The art industry today currently supports 4.1 million full-time jobs (Dorfman). By increasing the funding of music and art programs for students preschool through twelfth grade we can see a dramatic increase in the education of children across the United States, assist with skill development in young students, and greatly benefit the economy at the same time.
Jane Alexander, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), once said, “Many children are missing out on something which gives their education context, gives their lives depth and meaning, and prepares them to be the future workforce.” This “something” that she spoke of is music and art education. Unfortunately, she is entirely correct. We are currently seeing in our country a dramatic cut in arts education curriculum in our public schools due to the limited amount of both time and funding. In many cases budget cutbacks mean arts education cutbacks. This limited amount of resources often forces administrators to place a value on the various subject areas. There is always a demand for greater concentration upon the traditional basics: English, math, science, and history. There is also a new focus on computer competency and a renewed focus on the need for foreign language education. Add to this health education, family life education, industrial arts education, AIDS education, home economics, physical education, and business education and one begins to wonder where arts education fits in.
Weir, Kirsten, and Debbie Nevins. "Music And Your Mind.. (Cover Story)." Current Health Kids 34.1 (2010): 10-12. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 9 Jan. 2012.
Music and the Brain. (n.d.). Music and the Brain. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://tdlc.ucsd.edu/research/highlights/rh-music-and-brain-2011.html
The academic benefits of music education are immense. In a study by Shirley Brice Heath, a researcher at Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, students with at least three hours of participation in the arts, three days a week for at least a year are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement (Ford, AdamMcMahon, Maureen). Students in music excel in core subjects such as math, English, and science. In 1997, the College Board produced a study, revealing that students with at least four years of music education scored an average of 49 points higher on the verbal section of the SAT and 34 points higher of the math section (“Arts Education”). These days, this is the difference between being accepted to a college and not.
Levetin, D. "This is your brain on music." The science of a human obsession. David Levetin, n.d. Web. April 2011. .
Weinberger, Norman M. “Music and the Brain.” Scientific American Special Edition 16.3 (2006): 36-43. Health Source- Consumer Edition. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Cooper, Belle. " How Music Affects and Benefits Your Brain."lifehacker.come. N.p., 11 22 2013. Web. 3