Hayley Vivian

My Music Education Philosophy

The composer, Aaron Copland, once stated, The whole problem can
be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be,
'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that
would be, 'No.' As said by Aaron Copland, I believe the meaning of music is difficult
to define in just a few words. In correlation to the meaning of music, my philosophy
on music education also cannot be put in a few words. Music education is a subject I
am passionate about because I really believe it can positively impact every persons
life. Music is a valuable subject to be taught in schools because music is critical to a
students learning. When given the chance to express his or herself musically, I
believe all students can increase their value of life and become more aware of their
natural self. Bringing confidence, heritage, and passion to students is an
irreplaceable opportunity that should never go to waste.
Music at a young age such as in the elementary years builds upon many
cognitive processes. Research by Anita Collins shows that music increases activity in
the visual, motor, and auditory cortices, which also increases the volume in activity
in the corpus callosum. Collins also says, This may allow musicians to solve
problems more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings. In
regard to Blooms Taxonomy, music is the perfect example for higher-order thinking
because creating is what music teaches students to do. Another theorist, Howard
Gardner, states that musicality is the first cognitive process to develop. In addition
to Gardner, studies have also shown that music improves memory and helps
reinforce other subjects. According to a study by Lois Hetland, children provided

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with music instruction ages 3 to 12 score higher than children with no music
instruction on spatial-temporal tasks. As told by Frances H. Raucher, spatial
reasoning is important to various fields and core concepts such as proportions and
fractions. Susan Hallam also suggests that early music instruction improves
phonemic awareness, verbal memory retention, and phonological awareness. These
are all concepts that improve reading and writing skills.
Although intellectual benefits are important to a student, music has social
and behavioral benefits as well. Music is a fundamental subject for students to be
involved in because it improves a persons sense of self. When students play
instruments or sing, their self-esteem soars because they have a sense of
accomplishment. The discipline and dedication the students put into their
instruments decreases their chances of becoming involved with drugs or alcohol in
the future because their self-esteem is higher. Another social benefit is that music
teaches students how to interact with one another through an ensemble. Musical
ensembles grant students the ability to work together by teaching them how to
incorporate their individual parts to complete a piece of music. Music teaches
students about teamwork and personal accountability. The teamwork aspect that is
different from sports or another activity is that when people give only 90 percent in
sports, usually it can be good enough to win a game. When each student decides to
miss 10 notes out of 100 in a musical ensemble, the end result does not comply with
the composers intent. Music teaches students to give their absolute 100 percent,
because doing so is when an actual beautiful result takes place. When students are
taught that success comes from being the very best they can be, intrinsic motivation

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allows students to push themselves to be better in their academic life as well. This
creative activity within groups builds collaboration, which teaches students how to
work together. Being able to work together is a valuable skill to have because most
of their jobs in the future will involve teamwork. The social skills that develop from
these collaborations help students in their daily life.
Music improves life. It is that simple. While some people may not think these
are the most important skills in a persons life, I feel musical skills give life value.
Being taught the basics of keeping a beat and rhythm helps a person gain physical
coordination. While not every student that walks through the door is going to
continue studying music for the rest of his or her life, having a solid background of
music strengthens cognitive processes in the brain, which are critical to student
learning. In addition, the ability to sing Happy Birthday on pitch and dance in
rhythm at your childs wedding are basic skills of life. Being able to do such things is
what happens when a student attends music classes.