The Importance of Music Education

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Why have creative skills been put on the back burner in today’s society? Some say that music education is a waste of valuable resources, takes time away from academic subjects, is noisy and distracting, when in reality this is false. Music is a valuable resource that every human being should enjoy. Although our economy has been failing lately, we should not let ourselves believe that the only way to be productive is in a field that makes us unhappy, like computers or science. In America’s recent economic downfall, music education is commonly one of the first programs to be cut in districts around the country; this should not be the case because it benefits students academically, socially, and physically throughout the rest of their lives. Being involved in a first-class music program improves student’s abilities in other academic areas such as study skills, communication skills, and mathematics and science skills. Singing or playing an instrument is a tenuous thing to master; it takes a lot of practice, which involves problem solving skills, perseverance, and a drive for excellence. Students who excel this skill are often better at studying and following through with their goals because they are patient and know how much work it will take to conquer the subject, or school in general. Schools that have music programs that are rated as “excellent” or “very good” have higher graduation rates, 90.9% compared to 72.9% of those without (MENC Staff 4). When children learn to communicate emotions through music, they find it almost effortless to speak and communicate with others in real life situations. In band or choir they learn how to work with others to create a beautiful product, this ability transfers to teamwork in school and t... ... middle of paper ... ...portant over everything else, but it is not, what’s important is happiness which can be achieved through musical involvement. Works Cited Davis, Virginia. "Don’t Stop Advocacy at the Classroom Door! Plating Seeds with Today’s Students." General Music Today 20.3 (2007): 7-10. Professional Development Collection. Web. 21 Oct 2011. Lehman, Paul R. "A Personal Perspective." Music Educators Journal 88.5 Mar-2002. 47-51. ERIC. Web. 24 Oct 2011. Paige, Rod and Mike Huckabee. “Arts Education.” childrensmusicworkshop.com. np, 2006. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. Staff, MENC. "Why Music Education?." MENC-The National Association for Music Education. (2007): n. page. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. "Why Cut Music Education in Schools?." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow, n.d. Web. 17 October 2011. .

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