As the value of standardized testing within the public school system grows, the importance of music education wanes. With an unstable American economy, budget cuts are inevitable, and it is a known fact that the arts are always the first to suffer monetary loss. It may be easy to feel at first glance that music education is simply the fluff of a child’s school career, but in reality, it is the backbone.
One of the most wonderful things about music education is its far reaching effects. Music sinks into the holes and corners of places where it would never seem to make a difference. One of the most notable of these places is in a child’s overall education. The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1998 found that “high school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages than non-musicians in the same school.” When a child is given the opportunity to learn and study music, they are given invaluable tools necessary to learn any subject. Music provides not only a sense of discipline but an outlet for emotion. It gives students an opportunity to release any anger or tension or sadness and not only create something beautiful, but build the necessary skills of concentration and persistence that help them to succeed in all other subjects. “Music enhances the process of learning,” said R.R. Konrad. “The systems they nourish, which include our integrated sensory, attention, cognitive, emotional and motor capacities, are shown to be the driving forces behind all other learning.” If administrators want their students to have better standardized test scores, then they need to emphasize the benefits of music education.
Education isn’t the only benefactor of music, crime rates are too. The United States Senate reported in 2000 that “students who participate in school band or orchestra have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in our society.” When students participate in school music groups they become part of a family. It could therefore be argued that music is no different than a child joining a sports team but there’s one major difference; in music, there is no violence. “With music in schools, students connect to each other better; greater camaraderie, fewer fights, less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm,” said Eric Jensen. There is rarely ever a place in the world of music where a musician is forced to be completely alone. In the professional world musicians will play unaccompanied pieces of music from time to time depending on their instrument or the setting but for the purpose of music education, the child will never feel alone. They always have other band or orchestra members cheering them on and helping them not only through their musical studies, but in all aspects of their lives.
Another wonderful characteristic of music is that it has positive effects on everyone. James Catterall found that “students of lower socioeconomic status gain as much or more from arts instruction than those of higher socioeconomic status.” Music is the universal language and therefore it has no boundaries for who it can benefit. Music education is no longer reserved for the wealthy and the members of the elite society. In fact, it hasn’t ever been because even back in Mozart’s day, street musicians could learn to play music by ear. Music lessons are now available to everyone and money does not buy talent in a child.
Economic times are tough right now and schools have to decide what areas are best to spend what little money they have anymore. Music is more than just black dots on a white page and a teacher waving their arms around. The lasting effects of music education are endless and limitless.
