Music has been around for thousands of years. Anything can be used to make music. Anyone can make music. Some people say that music education is a waste of money. Music has helped people throughout many things as well. Music education is something everyone can benefit from.
Music can lift someone’s mood and change their emotions. Music gives people a way to express themselves to others. One thing music educations helps with is language skills. As claimed by the Children’s Music Workshop, “the effect of music education on language development can be seen in the brain.” Students being involved with music whether it is playing an instrument or being in choir brain and language skills improve. Being involved with a music program helps with memorization. With the students improved brain skills test scores are bound to go up. Students involved with music education perform better than those not enrolled in a music program.
Making music involves more than just singing or playing the instruments. To play an instrument you will need to learn how to read music. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90. 2 percent graduation rate and 93. 9 percent attendance rate compared to schools without music education who average 72. 9 percent graduation and 84. 9 percent attendance.
From a study in 2007 Christopher Johnson revealed that students in elementary schools with superior music education programs scored around 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math scores on standardized tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs.
Not only are test scores important for schools, but so is attendance. Students need to attend school to get education. The National Association for Music Education says “Schools that have music programs have an attendance rate of 93.3% compared to 84.9% in schools without music programs.”
Confidence and self-esteem is very important for students. They begin to be more confident in mathematics and problem solving. Getting Smart states, “When a music pupil has spent time learning about rhythm, he has learned to count. He is not counting numbers, per se, but he is most certainly using logic to count out the rhythms and bars, and working his way methodically through the piece. Many musical concepts have mathematical counterparts.”
Joining orchestra or the band students learn responsibility. They learn how to work in a group of people. Learning an instrument also teaches discipline. A student making their own schedule to follow, he or she learns how to be self-disciplined. Students learn to put in time for practice.
Everyone uses music to help them relax. Even kids stress about school. Taking music class is a break from math or science. Creating music is also a way to relieve stress. A study from the Northeast Iowa School of Music found that children involved with music programs have shown to have fewer discipline issues and get along better with classmates.
Music can change someone’s mood. Just like drawing or going for a run it is a way to cope. Music can help build imagination. “Music education equips students to be creative,” says Arts Education Partnership.
Music also teaches about other cultures. Different cultures have different music. There is music all over the world in different languages. There’s always a lesson to be learned while knowing the history of the song.
Music education and art education need a huge budget. They require a lot of instruments, places to practice and perform concerts. Music education improves academic performance but can also distract kids from the educational process.
“Music programs are constantly in danger of being cut from shrinking school budgets even though they’re proven to improve academics,” says DoSomething.org.
There is a huge benefit of being a part of a music program. It is never too late to learn about music or pick up an instrument.
Work Cited
“20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools.” NAfME, 25 Apr. 2018, https://nafme.org/20-important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/.
“How Children Benefit from Music Education in Schools.” NAMM Foundation, 9 June 2014, https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-09/how-children-benefit-….
“Making the Case for Music Education.” Spirit of Harmony Foundation, https://spiritofharmony.org/advocacy/making-the-case-for-music-education/.
“Statistical Benefits of Music in Education.” Arete Academy, https://www.areteacademy.org/news/details/statistical-benefits-of-music-….
“The Benefits of Music Education.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 3 Dec. 2019, https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/the-benefits-of-music-education.
“11 Facts About Music Education.” DoSomething.org, https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-music-education.
inc., Pacific Midwest Design. “Health Benefits.” Why Music?|Northeast Iowa School of Music, https://nisom.com/index.php/instruction/health-benefits.