Taking music education seriously in our public school system is well overdue. It has passed the point of “We think there are some benefits, and the students seem to like it” to “We have proof of many measurable benefits as a direct result of a through music education. Our students love it.”.
In just the past decade, there has been a massive influx of studies performed by notable research companies and distinguished scientists in regards to music education. These studies are all pointing at the same general conclusion. Music education is good for us.
The end goal is not to have every student pursuing a career in music. The end goal is to have the most intelligent and educated population possible. In public education, music should be viewed as an amplifier with applications across almost all areas of study.
We now have facts, not opinions, proving the dozens of cross over benefits of music education from a very young student age. Music education changes how our brain learns other subjects.
A student that has grown up with a firm understanding of basic music theory will be more prepared to tackle certain areas of math at a young age. A student that has been given the opportunity to express themselves through music will write differently in english class. A student who has participated in group music endeavours such as a school orchestra, or jazz band will have strong experience in working with a team.
There are so many benefits to music education. Here are just 12 of some of the more significant benefits a music student will encounter.
1. Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. It is thought that brain development continues for many years after birth. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint information on young minds.
2. There is a causal link between music and spatial intelligence (the ability to perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures of things). This kind of intelligence, by which one can visualize various elements that should go together, is critical to the sort of thinking necessary for everything, from solving advanced mathematics problems to being able to pack a book bag with everything that will be needed for the day.
3. Students of the arts learn to think creatively and to solve problems by imagining various solutions while rejecting outdated rules and assumptions. Questions about the arts do not have just one right answer.
4. Recent studies show that students who study the arts are more successful on standardized tests. They also achieve higher grades in high school.
5. A study of the arts provides children with an internal glimpse of other cultures and teaches them to be empathetic towards the people of these cultures. This development of compassion and empathy, as opposed to development of greed and a “me first” attitude, provides a bridge across cultural chasms that leads to respect of other races at an early age.
6. Students of music learn craftsmanship as they study how details are painstakingly put together and what constitutes good, as opposed to mediocre, work. These standards, when applied to a student’s own work, demand a new level of excellence and require students to stretch their inner resources.
7. In music, a mistake is a mistake; the instrument is in tune or not, the notes are well played or not, the entrance is made or not. It is only by much hard work that a successful performance is possible. Through music study, students learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work.
8. Music study enhances teamwork skills and discipline. In order for an orchestra to sound good, all players must work together harmoniously towards a single goal, the performance, and must commit to learning music, attending rehearsals and practising.
9. Music provides children with a means of self-expression. Now that there is relative security in the basics of existence, the challenge is to make life meaningful and to reach for a higher stage of development. Everyone needs to be in touch at some time in his or life with his or her core, with what he or she is and what he or she feels. Self-esteem is a by-product of this self-expression.
10. Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace. It focuses on “doing” as opposed to observing, and teaches students how to perform, literally, anywhere in the world. Employers are looking for multi-dimensional workers with the sort of flexible and supple intellects that music education helps to create as described above. In the music classroom, students also learn to better communicate and co-operate with one another.
11. Music performance teaches young people to conquer fear and to take risks. A little anxiety is a good thing and something that will occur often in life. Dealing with it early and often makes it less of a problem later. Risk-taking is essential if a child is to fully develop his or her potential.
12. An arts education exposes children to the incomparable. Via mykawartha.com
Bassists Are Far More Important Than Most People Realize
Though bassists are the butt of many musical jokes, they play a surprisingly large role in most music groups. Bassists are playing notes much lower than the rest of the band. A low note on a bass is giving context to every other harmonic and melodic sound happening with the rest of the band. Via merriammusic.com
Pearl Jam helps teach Ethiopian Students English – Video
After class one day, he jokingly wrote the chorus to Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’ on the chalkboard. He thought it would be funny if he could have the school kids try to learn it. They managed to stumble through it, laughing their way through the chorus line. It was a fun exercise, but when the day ended it was no more than an afterthought.The next morning, his class demanded more. They wanted another shot at the chorus. They were curious, passionate, and hungry for more. Over the next weeks, lyrics Eddie Vedder wrote 23 years ago became a treat for his students once the course work had been completed. Via merriammusic.com
