Importance of Music Education in Public Schools

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#1983By Aaron on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 4:39 am

Funding for Music Education in Public Schools

Imagine living life without music in the car, at work, in weddings, and even funerals. What direction would our lives take if no music existed? Even though most of Nietzsche’s philosophies do not coincide with society’s, he was right when he said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Although music is clearly important throughout life itself, much of the funding towards the education of music and performing arts groups are not looked highly upon in schools throughout the U.S. When music education was first voted into the public school curriculum, the effect of music in young students’ lives was inevitable. However, recently over $1.2 billion nationwide was pulled from public school music programs in the past academic year. National levels of expected education are set higher and higher in the U.S. every few years. In order for students to develop a well-rounded education, music should be just as important as other academic subjects; in order to do this, funding needs to be increased.

In 1838, educational pioneer and musician Lowell Mason helped vote music education into the curriculum of the Boston public school system. Not only was music a part of young students’ lives, it also became part of the core curriculum in Boston’s public schools. As a result, the Music Educators National Conference (M.E.N.C.) was formed in 1907 in support of music education throughout the country. This national organization adopted the first national standards for music instruction in Boston elementary schools. Decades later, the school band became increasingly common in grammar schools. By the twentieth century, the organizational motivation for school bands appeared at the University of Illinois, where the modern concert, or symphonic, band was formed. Today, over 45% of the total U.S. educational population, elementary to college, participates in music ensembles throughout their community. As shown through assiduous research, music instruction and ensemble participation benefit students’ education and intellect.

Music education benefits participants in each general subject in school. Music develops musicians in mathematics by teaching them the values of rhythmic notation. In music, notes are put onto a staff, which contains different types of time signatures. A time signature tells the musician how many beats (counts) are in a single measure and which note receives one beat. Soon, musicians are able to develop and strengthen their concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

A music composer writes based upon a figure or the common essay format used in English. The composer begins with a statement that will get the audience’s attention, which acts as an “attention-getter” in writing essays, and continues to write in which they support their thesis statement with musical phrases, chords, and intervals.

In science, music deals with the qualities of sound, acoustics and tone. Broad training is given to the hearing of pitches and those that are different. Sound waves are also studied to explain the matching of two like pitches or whether or not those pitches are “in tune”.

With an awareness of the terminology used in music, musicians gain important as well as useful knowledge in the Italian and Latin language. Such common terms used are allegro which means fast and lively; con sardino, which means ‘with mute’ (referring to brass instruments) and staccato, which means to play ‘light’ or ‘not connected’. Terminologies like these introduce students to foreign languages and help build a strong vocabulary.

History clearly has its own place in music as well. Musicians study great composers of the past and have an insight to all artistic and musical eras throughout history: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. With history come the different cultures also studied in music. Different selections have their own origin and various rhythmic patterns, which derive from such cultures as Spanish, Irish, French, Korean, English, etc.

Physical education also benefits from musical instruction. Significant amounts of time are spent on developing proper breath support and respiratory routines. Rehearsals can be intensive and as exhaustive as jogging or swimming. Motor skills are highly developed with all instruments involving fingering and position patterns. Concepts of teamwork and cooperation are also developed, as with all sports activities.

As obvious as these benefits are in a general education, music education budgets are frequently diminished and often completely cut. Many school and government officials do not realize the consequences that not only affect America’s students, but students in other countries. Restrictions have been made towards foreign students that would like private U.S. musical instruction. Cuts that are made on music programs affect more than the students, they also affect the teachers. If a district decides to cut music education and its programs, the students that were involved will need to take other classes, in which more teachers will be necessary to cover the influx of students. An average band class is one hundred students. Once the class is cancelled, additional teachers must be hired to make up the average class size of 30 students. Nonprofit organizations involved with school music programs generate an estimated thirty-seven million dollars a year in community involvement. Those same organizations return more than 3.4 billion dollars in federal income taxes to the U.S. Treasury each year. It would make sense to continue these music programs, which are obviously healthy to our economy. Above all, college-bound students, who are unable to participate in musical ensembles because of governmental cuts, will not have the experience necessary when applying for college.

Several reasons support the decreased budgets for music education. The federal government under education for the arts gives money that is received by the states. In return, the states must report on how this money is being used in educational and artistic purposes. The National Association for Secondary School Principles (N.A.S.S.P.) set the nation’s educational standards in public schools. Many of these standards do not include music education. As these academic goals are set higher, government budgets decrease in ‘less important’ subjects, which often leads to a view that education in the arts is not important. The budget for the National Endowment for the Arts (N.E.A.) is under inspection due to financial support for controversial art projects, which are funded by the N.E.A. One example is Robert Mapplethorpe’s series of erotic photographs. Another is Andres Serrano and his artistic presentation of a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine. Because the N.E.A. financially supports art like this from taxpayer’s money, it had helped push along major cuts in the education for the arts. Another reason why music education is not supported at times is the ‘professional’ prospect. In private instruction or ensemble rehearsals, many young musicians regularly have trained instruction, which often times asks too much from the young musician. As Michael Bolton once stated, “If a math student receives a score of 85% on a math quiz that’s pretty good. If a saxophonist plays 85% of the notes on a piece of music at a concert, [which is like a test] that’s not very good for most music teachers.” Most teachers often put too much pressure on their students when it comes to the basis of playing and performing. Some parents choose not to involve their child in stressful activities when high expectations are expected. Soon, there is a decrease in financial support towards the public music instruction.

Fortunately, many public school performing arts groups can be continued in several ways. If there is an orchestra or other performing art group, it should be encouraged to play at school events and community activities in order to help with the awareness that many of these groups are being cut out of the district. Many parents are also concerned with the options available to their child’s education. Many of them are actively involved in their schools’ P.T.A. Those meetings can bring up the promotion of these groups and ways it can be improved. The most productive action that had helped keep music in schools is the development of various groups and organizations within school districts.

In the Whittier Union High School District (W.U.H.S.D.), every high school has an active marching and concert band in which they perform and compete with other local schools. Recently, the Whittier High School Performing Arts Academy opened their newly performing groups to local musicians. These performing groups include a Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Band, Choir, Musical Theatre, and Dance. Annually performing is the W.U.S.H.D. Honor Band that is offered to selective students in the district. Within this state, the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (S.C.S.B.O.A.) holds auditions and an orchestra/band performance for talented young musicians in Southern California. In addition, the Pasadena City College expands their marching band to high school musicians in which they are given the opportunity to perform in the New Year’s Day Rose Parade. Clearly, and effort is made in Southern California and in the Whittier School District to continue on active participation in the performing arts.

Whether it was Lowell Mason or the organizational outlook of the S.C.S.B.O.A., music education and ensembles will always be apart of a way of learning and living, especially in California. The education of music is alive and well today; however, there are many school districts without the knowledge and appreciation of music. Not a cent should be cut towards the education of music that is still alive and well. Instead, schools and students should be notified and made aware of music programs, such as school bands, orchestras and choirs, which give students educational advantages. Continual support should be given every year, as music is evident in life, school and one’s own intellect. Musical instruction is something a person should not live without.

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