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Music education importance in schools
Music education importance in schools
Music education importance in schools
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Around the country, schools are constantly cutting budgets on invaluable programs including those teaching important skills such as sports, art, and even music. Music programs are being restricted and even completely eliminated due to cost. According to the National Association of Music Merchants, music programs cost only $187 per student. This is merely the cost of two average school textbooks. Music funds have been cut by 80% in the last five years throughout the country. Many sources show that children that play some sort of instrument have improved creative and critical thinking skills. It is essential to keep music programs in schools. It is not only important for students to play music because it improves test scores, but because
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.
The budget for schools were reduced from $68.2 billion dollars to $59.0 billion in one year. With a $9.2 billion dollar cut in budget, schools will have to have sacrifices, and “with current state standardized testing and requirements for academic standards, core curricular classes will always be safe” (Dickson) music programs are the first to go. Music programs are not courses that get tested in, so they are not seen as an important factor to school boards. But when classes that do not have the rigor of other subjects they are not seen as crucial to the academics of a student. With the funds cut for schools, and the money still needed for books and paychecks for teachers, there are other ways to earn money for extracurricular activities like band or choir. “While music programs saw an average budget increase of 11 percent during the 1994-95 year, more than half of that now comes from outside fundraising” (Archer), like car washes, coupon cards, and bake sales. While band and choir take up lots of funds, for instruments, uniforms or robes, and trips the group may go on, fundraising takes most of the costs away. With fundraising, costs for music programs will not be as much as they would be without it. The students get more out of fundraising than they would with it being just a class where they studied and got homework. Music gives them ways to actively see what it is like to perform in front of the community as well as
Fine arts gives students a chance to pour their hearts into something beautiful; a chance to be a part of something that is bigger than just themselves. Some schools are facing financial troubles with the current economy, and one of the first programs they consider cutting is fine arts. The removal of fine arts programs would be absolutely devastating to countless members of the community. Many students would lose their favorite class, in some cases the one class that helps them get through the day, and many teachers that truly care fir the students would lose their dream jobs. Fine arts should not be cut from schools; they build confidence, help with the application of other academic concepts, and even help to prepare students for their future work in the business world.
Many schools around the country are cutting their music program because of budget cuts in their counties. The arts for some reason are always the first to be cut; apparently the school doesn’t think they are essential to their students learning. Schools try to focus on the more important academic classes because of the high testing standards they must now meet. (Nesoff 2003) This is not just happening in poor school districts it is happening in large districts across the country including magnet schools for the arts: “When Albert Margolis and his wife attended the final music program for their son's kindergarten class in May, they were shocked when a teacher stood up after the performance and announced that the music program was cut indefinitely…Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo in California's affluent Orange County, is a magnet school for the arts…” (Nesoff 2003) When magnet schools for the arts start cutting music you know there is a problem. The problem is the schools do not know the importance of music and the arts and how necessary they are for children to grow and become cultured in our society.
The American school system has been put under an immense amount of stress in the past few years. Funding has been moved, held back, and/or taken away from various classes. However, one of the largest fights for funding is found in music education. Without funding, music classes are unable to properly educate children in music. With more and more money being taken away, the youngest generation is growing up with less musical intelligence.
“Recent studies show that being involved in music classes makes it easier to learn other subjects and improve skills in other classrooms” (Brown, “The Benefits of Music Education”). A lot of people tend to overlook how much music education has an impact on the success of a student. Because of this, schools should be required to offer fine arts and music classes as electives for the students. Not only will this improve the students test scores, but it will also give the students a broader imagination and more creativity in and out of the classroom. In a lot of schools, fine arts and musical classes are the first to go when there are budget cuts. “Seventy-one percent of the nation’s fifteen thousand school districts have cut instructional hours spent on music and other subjects” (“State of the arts: should music and art classes be brushed aside”). Not only is it affecting the teachers who have specialized in the study of fine arts, it is affecting all of the students and parents who are actively involved in these programs. “Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy and associate dean of the School of Fine Arts at KU, found jumps of twenty-two percent in English test scores and twenty percent in math scores at elementary schools with superior music education” (Lynch “Music Boosts Test Scores”). With that being said, schools should be required to offer music and fine arts classes as an elective for their students.
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.
The position that is being argued is that music should stay in schools. This author is making the claim that music makes children excel in their education. This author uses many different sources. The author relies mainly on studies to back up his argument. The article is recent.
Many people do not realize the positive effect that popular music has on children. At a young age one of the breakthroughs for children is music’s benefit for language development. According to the Children’s Music Workshop, the effect of music education on language development can be seen in the brain. Studies have indicated that musical training develops the left side of the brain known to be involved in processing language and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. The relation between both music and language development can also have advantages children. Listening to music can also improve children test scores and IQ levels. Dr. Schellenberg found that a small increase in the IQs of six year olds who were given weekly vocal and piano lessons. This leads to the fact that music is very helpful when it comes to education. Professor Christopher Johnson revealed that students in elementary schools with better music education programs sc...
While it is true that physical activity is highly beneficial not only for us physically, but also for us mentally, learning to play an instrument benefits us in countless ways. There was a study done that showed increased executive function when individuals exercised. An article discussing the study defined executive function as, “skills important for planning and organizing, focusing on schoolwork, resisting impulses, self-monitoring and using strategies to achieve goals” (Hellmich 4d). Therefore, evidence shows, and I highly agree, that physical activity is beneficial. But music is equally, if not more advantageous than physical activity. Physicist Gordon Shaw and psychologist Frances Rauscher gathered together a team of neurobiologists, mathematicians, educators and musicians at the University of California in order to research the relationship between music education and cognitive abilities. According to an article in the New York Amsterdam
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake”. Music is almost as old as the human race and is as much a part of it as anything. So why would anyone choose to get rid of it? An Increasing number of schools across the nation are deciding to cut music education programs. This includes band, orchestra, choir, and general music classes. In 1991, 55.4 percent of public school eighth-graders took part in music classes at school. In 2004, this figure was just 49.1 percent. Money plays a huge role in this statistic: “...when funds are scarce, arts courses are usually the first to be dropped from a school’s curriculum” (“Arts Education”). While many argue that music education is an unnecessary cost for schools, it improves student’s overall well being.
Even when children learn music they able to listen, sing, dance, create movement. Listening to music draw out emotions, and playing music can be just like communicating emotions. Some people find this a very powerful experience. “ Music enriches the lives of students and should be considered a necessary part of education.”
In this writing assignment, I will focus on defining the meaning of music. By giving the meaning of music I will also express how the music will and can benefit a young child. I will also give my thoughts about the web site and how music, benefits to our young children. I will also address the different instruments and different sounds these instruments make in many different songs. I will address how creativity comes to play with music in the classroom.
Playing a musical instrument as a hobby, gives an immense sense of achievement and true satisfaction, in that one can never feel like playing difficult songs or playing it flawlessly. This boosts the ego and enforces sense of self-achievement, which accomplish more in other aspects of life. Playing instrument as a hobby, require regular practice and dedication. Allotting time to practice daily develops discipline in a person. This can be very advantageous to children who, research shows that everything else fails, but music disciplines children-when they are naturally curious and excited about it.
Learning to play any musical instrument, benefits an individual in all aspects of life, whether it 's academically, socially, physically, or emotionally. Instruments that were created to make musical sounds are categorized into five main groups; strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboards. And all it takes is dedication and admiration in order to successfully learn how to play an instrument. I believe that musicians, those who have musical ability, have an advantage over other individuals who don 't have the knowledge to play an instrument. Becoming a musician will also open up so many opportunities that are undeniably gratifying.