The subject of music education has been debated between teachers and administrators for years.
Many school officials see it as an unnecessary expense, but studies have shown that learning music has immense effects on a child’s developing mind.
Every day, more and more schools are cutting out their musical budgets and ditching Mrs. Smith’s “Music 101” for standardized tests and an increasingly restricted curriculum.
But what does this do to the students? Some say this makes students experience a lack of creativity and a lack of wanting to engage in their studies. They might feel constricted in a narrow box.
Students should be allowed to be interested in both the arts and STEM. Art is what flows through our cultures and is passed down from generation to generation.
Music has been used all throughout history to tell stories. To tell stories of people and their lives. To express emotions and even share customs. Why is this something schools want to irradicate?
The following points illustrate why music education is vital in today’s schools. We’ve compiled four reasons, but it’s important to note that there are many more out there!
4 Reasons Why Music Should be Taught in Schools
Learned Coordination and Social Skills
One of the biggest benefits of music education is social education. When a student learns how to play an instrument or sing, their hand-eye coordination and auditory response will improve.
Reading music takes skill, and executing that music into an instrument requires a demonstration of that skill. By including music education in a school’s curriculum, students will be able to improve their coordination in ways they can’t normally.
While a child may not normally tap their hands to a rhythm, a percussion lesson will have them using that center of their brain.
Music education also teaches teamwork. While music encourages individuality and expression, it also requires children to work together to achieve a goal. If students don’t learn how to work as a team, the choir or orchestra won’t sound good during a performance.
Music education teaches to listen to the people around them to create a cohesive whole, which translates to the outside world.
Something as simple as including easy piano songs for beginners in a classroom setting can have a massive social impact on these young lives.
Improved Academic Abilities
Another reason to teach music in schools is that it improves academic abilities. Studies have shown that learning how to play musi