Cheney 1

Cyndi Cheney
Dr. Sean George
English 1010D.04
6 December 2016
Outline -Is Music Education Important in Public Schools?
I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for
the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning. Plato. Is music education
important in public schools? There are many reasons why it is important. One is the effects
music has on the brain/mind when one is listening to music, and one who plays an instrument or
sings. Can a music education really help with test scores and learning? Also, those that can read
music can read and understand another language. There are many benefits to Music Education
and music classes in public schools. So why is it hard to get funding and support for these
programs and classes? Are core subjects more important to administrators?

PBS.org
Making music involves more than the voice or fingers playing an instrument; a child learning
about music has to tap into multiple skill sets, often simultaneously. For instance, people use
their ears and eyes, as well as large and small muscles, says Kenneth Guilmartin, cofounder of
Music Together, an early childhood music development program for infants through
kindergarteners that involves parents or caregivers in the classes(par.3).
According to the Childrens Music Workshop, the effect of music education on language
development can be seen in the brain. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical

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training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with
processing language, and can actually wire the brains circuits in specific ways (par. 6).
Research indicates the brain of a musician, even a young one, works differently than that of a
nonmusician. Theres some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have
larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When youre a musician and
youre playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain, says Dr. Eric
Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The
Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches a specialized music curriculum for children aged
two months to nine years (par.10).
In fact, a study led by Ellen Winner, professor of psychology at Boston College, and Gottfried
Schlaug, professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical
School, found changes in the brain images of children who underwent 15 months of weekly
music instruction and practice. The students in the study who received music instruction had
improved sound discrimination and fine motor tasks, and brain imaging showed changes to the
networks in the brain associated with those abilities, according to the Dana Foundation, a private
philanthropic organization that supports brain research (par. 11).
These skills come into play in solving multistep problems one would encounter in architecture,
engineering, math, art, gaming, and especially working with computers(par.13).
Math is a core subject. Most schools place a high priority on math scores of their
students. The research is there and proves that it helps with learning, even math. Would this
make music education a priority?

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Research has also found a causal link between music and spatial intelligence, which means that
understanding music can help children visualize various elements that should go together, like
they would do when solving a math problem (par.12).
A study published in 2007 by Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music
therapy at the University of Kansas, revealed that students in elementary schools with superior
music education programs scored around 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in
math scores on standardized tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs,
regardless of socioeconomic disparities among the schools or school districts. Johnson compares
the concentration that music training requires to the focus needed to perform well on a
standardized test (par 14).
Aside from test score results, Johnsons study highlights the positive effects that a quality music
education can have on a young childs success. Luehrisen explains this psychological
phenomenon in two sentences: Schools that have rigorous programs and high-quality music and
arts teachers probably have high-quality teachers in other areas. If you have an environment
where there are a lot of people doing creative, smart, great things, joyful things, even people who
arent doing that have a tendency to go up and do better.(par. 15).
Your understanding of art and the world, and how you can think and express yourself, are
enhanced.(par. 19).

(Striking a cord- Education Digest)

In the western states of America, most parents feel that music education is important and should
be part of core subjects in schools.

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Teachers and parents both see the importance of music education in schools and want to have
quality classes available to students. But has music education become less important to schools
and their districts? Education Digest reports, Both parents and teachers see substantial benefits
from music educationand support significant expansions in music programs. (par. 12)
Majorities of both parents and teachers are aware of research on the effects of music on the
developing brain, and have personally experienced the benefits of music education on their own
children or students. (par. 14)

Funding could be one of the reasons music education and classes have decreased. Also, there is
a big cost associated with instruments, costumes, and repairs. Not a lot of money is made to
cover these costs and it doesnt bring in a lot of money. Substantial majorities of teachers and
parents believe budget cuts in music programs hurt students and that music is not as adequately
funded as other core subjects. Most teachers and parents rate the funding for their own school's
music program as average or worse. (par. 20) If this is something teachers and parents see as
important to students, then why isnt it important to administrator, and school board members, all
the way up to the state.

Asked about 15 possible ways to cut school budgets, both teachers and parents are more willing
to make cuts in 12 of the 14 other curricular, administrative, and service areas rather than cut
music and arts education. Only the number and salaries of teachers are more sacrosanct. (par.
21) As you can see, most can see how important music education is and feel like they can spare
money from other areas.

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What can we as a society do to increase awareness to those in higher positions in the school
boards and state? Educate administrators and policymakers about the disparities in the quality
of music education in different schools and geographic regions and for different demographic
groupsand about how strongly teachers and parents feel about these disparities. (par. 33)
(End of Education Digest)

Ken Petress:
In the past fifty years, instruction in the arts have alternately ascended and descended in their
popularity, vitality, and support, especially in the K-12 grades. Music has taken some of the
biggest and more frequent cuts among the arts due, in great part, to the high costs of sheet music
and instrument purchase and repair. Other arts instruction such as visual arts, dance, and choir
have suffered greatly from time to time, but music seems to have taken the greatest hit."(par. 3)

(Play it again)
A greater emphasis on academic skills during the last three decades, combined with school
budget crunches and more teacher accountability, has caused public school music programs in
many schools to fade into oblivion. (par. 1)

Of all the arts, the one that appears to affect the lives of children most directly is music. Music
is something they can understand, participate in, and enjoy. Music leads children into worlds of
fantasy and imagination. It has no barriers of race, ethnicity, or color. (par. 3)

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"Play it again, teach: a contingency plan." Talks about For instance, Campbell states that
students who sing or play an instrument score up to 51 points higher on SAT's than the national
average. Harvard's Project Zero (Tilney 2001) has supporting data showing student academic
improvement after an arts-integrated curriculum was initiated. We have learned through brain
research, theory and experience that music is essential for healthy, whole humans. According to
Jensen (1998), the evidence is persuasive that our brains may be designed for music and the arts,
and that these subjects have positive, measurable, and lasting academic and social benefits.
(par.3) If playing an instrument or singing in a choir is beneficial to higher education, where you
can score higher on tests and improve healthy, why do schools not have music education a high
priority?
If school districts are not willing to implement public school music programs, then the burden
will fall on the teachers (par.4). Those teachers who have a passion and desire to teach music
and ..be to their students may have the drive to push through with no support. But, those
teachers who went to school to become a music teacher and may not have as outgoing
personality and strong drive may not be able to stand on their own and get a program up and
going.
A growing number of educators believe that musical activities provide valuable preparation for
the working world. Many skills called for in the workplace are the same skills emphasized in
music programs. Some of these skills include the capacity for working together, communication
skills, creative thinking, imagination, and invention (par.20).

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Some people may argue that academics is more important than music education. There is
not enough money to really support music programs at middle and high schools. No child left
behind was established by George W. Bush who wanted to improve a students academic
performance with a focus on testing. Less focus on art and music programs. This does help every
student to have focus on reading and math.

Conclusion:
Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around
them a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our
nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.
President Gerald Ford. Parents, teachers, and administrators should not only rely on core
subjects in school to insure a child is ready for life when they leave school. Music education and
art programs are just as important in school to help students become academically ready with a
greater knowledge..

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Works Cited
Bryan, Laura. "Play it again, teach: a contingency plan." Education, vol. 126, no. 1, 2005, p. 143.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context, libproxy.dixie.edu/login?
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alsDetailsWindow?
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query=&prodId=OVIC&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=
&limiter=&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=G
ALE|
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Accessed 15 Nov. 2016.
Brown, Laura Lewis. The Benefits of Music Education. PBS Parents.
pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education. Accessed
21 Nov. 2016.
Petress, Ken. "The importance of music education." Education, vol. 126, no. 1, 2005, p. 112 .
Opposing Viewpoints in Context, libproxy.dixie.edu/login?
url=http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/AcademicJourn
alsDetailsWindow?
disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=Journals&currPage=&scanId=&
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&limiter=&display-

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query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=G
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Accessed 14 Nov. 2016.

Rajan, Rekha S. "Funding Music." General Music Today 30.1 (2016): 30-37. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Shapiro, Lauren. "There's the common core, there's the stem--what about the fruit? A renowned
music educator talks about 65 years of teaching children's choruses." World and I,
Nov. 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, libproxy.dixie.edu/login?
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Accessed 15 Nov. 2016.

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"Striking A Chord." Education Digest 81.7 (2016): 52-58. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.