Why Keep Music in Schools?
I believe that music is an important part of our school system.If we are honest with ourselves, unless a student in going into music performance, music is not frequently used in everyday life or in the business place. I am of the mind set that music is an integral part of education as a whole. Not only does music keep children off the streets and in the practice rooms, but it builds self-esteem and encourages individuality. School budgets are getting smaller and smaller each year, and more and more programs are being cut. This paper discusses the reasons why music is almost always one of the first subjects to go, the reasons why music should stay and how we can all help keep music alive in our schools.
Violence and substance abuse levels are still high in schools. Music is a highly effective way of combating these vices. The Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report stated that secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs) and according to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who can be classified as “disruptive” (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the same criteria as “disruptive.” It is hard to ignore those statistics.
A painter paints pictures on canvas, but musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski
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Other statistics show that students with coursework or experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. A University of California study showed that after eight months of keyboard lessons, preschoolers showed a 46% boost in their spatial reasoning IQ. Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66 percent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. Only 44 percent of biochemistry majors were admitted. What an amazing testimony to the power of music.
Websites
www.supportmusic.com
www.amc-music.com
www.schoolmusicmatters.com
www.MENC.org www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/
www.amc-music.com
www.schoolmusicmatters.com
www.MENC.org www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/