Free Essay on Importance of Music Education in Schools

Music is the central language that is understood by all races on earth. Research over time has shown that music is a priceless form of art that people cannot live without (Juslin and John, 89). The world today is encompassed with music such that wherever people go, they are caught up in music be it in restaurants, barber shops, subways as well as shopping malls. It has become a part of peoples lives, and the norm is something that people cannot part with. In the education sector, there has been a crisis in the education of music in schools since the great recession. The quantity and quality of music have been tampered with by heads of schools who are trying to save money. Scientifically, this shows that the education sector is depriving students of the benefits that come with music education. In the year 1999, James Caterall found that those students who went through the music education had better grades, better attendance rates and were more engaged in the community than their counterparts that did not do music. From researches done in the past, it is clear that music is good for all. With all these in mind, officials in the education sector universally need to support a balanced and sequential music study that is taught by teachers that are qualified. This essay will seek to find out the importance of music to the students and why the education heads should incorporate music into their curriculum.

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To start with, this essay will try and demonstrate the benefits that students are likely to get by studying music. Firstly, music brings about some neurological advantages that are required in other subjects like mathematics and languages. Music is known to target a part of the brain called the spatial-temporal reasoning (Spaeth, Sigmund, 96). Students with high spatial-temporal reasoning are good at working put solutions for complex problems. These qualities can also be extended to other fields like engineering, architecture and science among others. For a country to have an economy that is competitive, it requires students to pursue these subjects. Music is also a highly paying career and it is known to have benefited most people from the low-income communities in that they can close the gap between the rich and the poor. A study done by James Caterall found out that kids from disadvantaged families who performed in the orchestra were likely to be getting better grades in math than their fellow students who did not receive the training in music. Besides mathematics, music helps in language development. For children to learn how to read, they need a brain with a memory that works properly. For a child to have an active ability to speech sound, they require playing a musical instrument that will engage their brain and increase their processing abilities. Music, therefore, helps in shaping the brain.

Music is not just about modeling the brain. It is also known for developing well-formed people that give back to the society by the use of their knowledge and talent(Weinberger, Norm, 1). Studies show that students who take music from the low-income families have a better civic-mind and are always ready to exercise their rights to vote, to finish their education, to choose a career and to do volunteer work. These benefits show why music is needed in schools since it is not useless. Music also gives children cognitive powers that they require to succeed in life. It also helps in closing the gap between the rich and the poor which has gone up over the years whereby the rich get richer and the poor, poorer. By closing in on this gap, children are also able to stop the plague of social class that has plagued not only the community but also the schools. Music does this by giving children cognitive abilities that improve their confidence and their imagination. Education heads would not want to cut on this benefit that music brings to the children and the community. After all, there are no better things that education can provide other than seeing the students graduate as people who are confident of themselves so as to tackle the challenges they will face in the world.

Another reason that ought to encourage schools heads to introduce music in schools is the benefit of children developing intelligence. For children to succeed in society and school, they need to have some abilities. Music increases a childs intelligence as demonstrated by some neurological experiments done under controlled behavioral conditions. These studies all agree that music makes a child smarter in class and society. In a study done by Dr. TimoKrings, pianists and no-pianists were asked to perform complicated finger movements as their brains were being monitored by a functional magnetic resource imaging (fMRI). This technique helps in detection of the abilities of the brain cells (Ratey, John, 56). The non-pianists were able to make the same movements in the right way as the pianists, but the pianists did not show erratic brain activities as compared to their counterparts. Comparisons made showed that the pianists were more proficient when making the finger movements and this shows that music can enhance the functioning of the brain. When performing the finger movements, a pianist is required to adjust the tempo, phrasing, tone, rhythm as well as feeling thus teaching the brain to become good at arranging and conducting all the mentioned activities at one time(Timo et al., 13). Children who are trained and have dedicated their time to orchestra have a playoff for having exceptional skills in paying attention as well as in increasing their levels of intelligence and expression.

In summary, education heads should not deprive children of these benefits in the name of trying to save money. For the nations economy to grow it requires intelligent people, who are creative and with good cognitive skills. Music will help the children in gaining such skills that will assist them in the future. The importance of music to the next generation should not be underestimated. A clear message should be sent to all those who are involved in the school systems. The message should be that music is an integral part of the society and that it will help children and the society in real ways. The benefits highlighted can be used to help convince decision makers in making the right choices for the children who are the future generation. With all these in mind, officials in the education sector universally need to support a balanced and sequential music study that is taught by teachers that are qualified. This is because music is good for all(Strimple, Nick, 56).

Works Cited

Juslin, Patrik N, and John A. Sloboda. Music and Emotion: Theory and Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.

Ratey, John.A Users Guide to the Brain. New York: Pantheon Books, 2001.

Spaeth, Sigmund. The Importance of Music. New York: Fleet Pub. Corp, 1963. Print.

Strimple, Nick. Choral Music in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Amadeus, 2008. Print.

Weinberger, Norm.The Impact of Arts on Learning.MuSICa Research Notes 7, no. 2 (Spring 2000).Reporting on Krings.

Timo et al. Cortical Activation Patterns during Complex Motor Tasks in Piano Players and Control Subjects.A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.Neuroscience Letters 278, no. 3 (2000): 189-93.