Music Education in our Public Schools

Music Education in our Public Schools

Music Education is no doubt a necessity to the students of today. Music plays a major role in everyone’s daily life. Music is listened to while driving in the car, when eating in restaurants, relaxing at home, and even when on hold to a company’s overloaded phone system. Music is everywhere you turn, and it should be one of the main subjects to be studied in our public school systems. Public schools in America need to understand that the funding and continued study of music is just as important as the funding for math or science to produce a well rounded graduate.

Public schools in America have the awesome responsibility of producing America’s next generation of productive members of society. Along with that responsibility they have the obligation to produce a well rounded individual who has an educational background in many fields. When most think about classes at school we automatically think of Math, Science, or English, unfortunately, music education is left off of that main list of classes far too often.

Studies have shown that exposing small children to music will accelerate their cognitive ability far greater than the children who were not exposed to music. A study of almost 240 second grade students show that the half that received piano training scored an average of 27 percent higher on proportional and fractions math tests than the group who did not have the piano training (www.namm.com).

In the public school system of standardized testing and never ending required classes, music seems to have slipped through the cracks. If a school system is trying to produce a well rounded individual, music education is a must in the curriculum. Music education is one of humanity’s seven intelligences. If one area of intelligence is ignored, then a student has lost that sense of themselves. This loss is a major burden of the public school system that must be addressed.

Another shortcoming of the public schools system, which is regrettably apparent to both music educators and students alike are the priorities for funding school programs are non-educational. In several public school systems in Central Ohio, when their respective levies failed to pass, each school board decided to fund non-academic programs such as football, basketball and other programs alike. However, while the school found mon...

... middle of paper ...

...e thought as on one of the main classes in our public schools, but if it were treated as one, schools would produce students who are well rounded and excel and most everything from classes to life.

Music education is a subject with immense possibilities of furthering American student’s educational success. This idea has even brought its attention to Capital Hill, according to the words of U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico:

Music education can be a positive force on all aspects of a child’s life, particularly on their academic success. The study of music by children has been linked to higher scores on the SAT, ACT, and other aptitude tests, and has proven to be an invaluable tool in the classroom across our country. Given the impact music can have on our children’s education, we should support every effort to bring music into their classrooms.

(www.amc-music.com)

Works Cited

American Music Conference, Music Research

National Association of Music Merchants press release,

“SupportMusic.” March 12, 2003. February 21 2005

United States Congress. U.S. Dept. of Education. No Child Left

Behind Act of 2001. Singed into law by President Bush.