Eliminating an Essential Class from School Curriculum

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Recommended: A brief article on the benefits of music education

Everyone knows of the recent decline to our nation’s economy. From a failing job market, to rising food, and gas prices, the United States’ economy hasn’t been good to anyone who lives here. However, some of the worst damage to the economy has been to our nation’s schools. Due to budget cuts forced on by the government, school districts and townships all over the nation have been forced to make drastic changes. School’s everywhere have been forced to cut teachers, library aids, close schools, have students pay for transportation, and even cut classes from school curriculums. Perhaps the most important classes, that we may not even know have such a big impact on us, are being cut. These classes are music classes. The classes include choir, band and orchestra. Eliminating music classes from school curriculums is a bad decision because these classes are essential to a student’s academic growth and development.

To some people, it may not seem that classes such as band, choir, and orchestra are important, but these classes aren’t just for entertainment. “Kids who receive music training often improve across the board in academics,” finds psychologist Martin Gardiner of Brown University. “They [music students] just shoot ahead in math. This can’t be explained by social effects or attention alone. There’s something specific about music,” says Gardiner (Begley 3). These classes can help students improve in school, including in certain math classes. In 1997, Gordan Shaw, of the University of California and Irvine and Frances Rauscher, of the University of Wisconsin, did a study. It included a test given to 83 students. Twenty-six of the participating students were given instruction on how to play the piano, plus instruction on how to play...

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...+. inspire. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

Mahale, Sneha. "Music the best medicine." Hindistan Times 7 July 2008. inspire. Web. 24 Feb. 2011..

“Music to your Brain”. Scholastic News –Edition 5/6, 13 Sept.2010: 3+. inspire Web 21 Feb. 2011.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=min&AN=54339107&site=src-live>.

Quill, Katie. "Lighting up the Brain." Times, The (United Kingdom) 20 Aug. 2005: 17. inspire. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

Slater, Lauren. "Kids & music." Parenting Sept. 2003: 168+. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

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