Keep the Music Alive!

Music education is under attack. In recent years the place that music education holds in school curriculum has been largely debated. Controversy has arisen due to people and institutions questioning if music is truly a necessity in a student’s educational career. The most common arguments against music education attack the subject for being “illegitimate”, not a necessity, for entertainment purposes only, and largely only serving as a distraction to students from their academics. These arguments completely misrepresent the way music education can and does positively affect students not only in their academic performance but also in their performance of life. Countless sources show and even demonstrate the significant positive effects learning and playing music can have on academic success, cognitive ability, entrepreneurial identity, psychological well-being, and development of skills necessary for success in most career paths and even in day to day life. Stripping away the potential of ever learning or experiencing music in an educational matter ultimately causes more harm than good. Hindering the development of creativity in students can ultimately lead to ruining the potential of many students who have any inkling of creativity or artistic expression within themselves. Separating music education from educational institutions is akin to child abuse in the way it suffocates the flame of passion and drive, or the potential for, in students around the globe. 

So, Is the act of being negligent towards a students’s desire to learn music child abuse and is creating the environment to nurture that students’s desire just a big waste of time? It has been proposed that musical training is the optimal general cognitive training strategy, according to a study on the cognitive and academic benefits of instrumental musical training by Rafael Roman-Caballero. This proposal leads to the idea that being musically inclined could have benefits not just in music but in daily life. Although it seems counterintuitive that creating a musical outlet for students would benefit their overall success in school and throughout life, it is clear that the skills learned through the discipline and commitment of learning and playing music can reap benefits far beyond simply nurturing a passion for music.

Music education is often excluded from the “traditional academic areas” mostly due to the fact that some argue that music programs detract from a student’s academics. They believe that spending too much time practicing, going on trips, and attending performances hinders a student’s ability to focus on their studies. Although these conclusions are valid, what is often overlooked is the synergy that occurs between the different areas of academic study; art and music, math, and science. Specifically, music and mathematics have been shown to have many correlations. The great mathematician Albert Einstein is said to have sat and played music when he was stuck on a mathematical problem, as stated in the article “Correlation Between Math and Music Ability.” In the article “Correlation between math and Music ability”  it is also said how, at some level, all music is math. It’s about time signatures, beats per minute, and formulaic progressions that reinforce the same parts of the brain that are used in mathematics. It is also said that taking the time to appreciate music is a reward on its own. For people interested in the success of students, that time could also improve mathematics and other academic skills.

Appreciation for the finer things is inherently what connects all aspects of academic study. As a great Greek philosopher by the name of Plato once said, “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.” Without the learned ability to appreciate and nurture beauty in all things there would be no mathematicians, scientists, or musicians. “A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made of ideas. His patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s must be beautiful; the ideas, like the colors or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way,” as quoted from English mathematician G. H. Hardy. Music appreciation directly correlates to the appreciation of harmony and structure in math. Like patterns in music there are patterns and formulas in math, like experiments in science the relationships between chords, melodies, and harmonies all have different effects dependent on many interchangeable variables. If the appreciation for the inherent “beauty” in all things can be nurtured through music education then an appreciation and passion can be developed for the things that hold a similar type of beauty in the “traditional academic areas’’.

The causal relationship between music education and learning in other academic areas is crucial in providing the insight as to why music education is an equal to math and science in the education system. Although there is need for more rigorous research on the subject, there is credible reason for why music and the arts must be upheld at a higher standard by all education institutions. Many connections have been made between music education and academic success, cognitive ability, and even entrepreneurial identity.

In the article “The Arts in Education: Evaluating the Evidence for a Causal Link,” Winner and Hetland establish that the undeniable learning transfer effects of music education justify its place in any curriculum. But, even if that were not so, there is no reason to justify the importance of music and arts education based on if it leads to stronger skills in math or science. We don’t justify mathematics education based on if it leads to stronger skills in English therefore we should not justify the presence of music education based on if it leads to stronger skills in other traditional academic areas.

A transfer of learning occurs through the use of previously acquired skills and knowledge in a new learning or problem-solving situation. As stated by Steve Oare in his article “Music Education and 21st Century Skills,” music education provides students with opportunities to develop foundational skills that promote social and emotional well-being, a sense of responsibility, strong character, adaptability, and a strong work ethic. It has the ability to awaken a students curiosity, initiative, persistence, leadership, and social and cultural awareness. More specifically, when looking at the learning transfer of music education to entrepreneurial education, as examined in Jefremovs and Kozlinska’s article “Music education in adolescence – A pathway to entrepreneurial identity?” clear similarities have been identified in how one develops an entrepreneurial identity versus the skills developed within music education.

Characteristics of an entrepreneurial identity include creativity, proactivity, flexibility, the ability to generate new ideas, and the competency in which to make them happen. Similarly, music education is known to develop adaptability and openness to new possibilities, among many other entrepreneurial characteristics. The creativity, sensory memory, and ability to work with others that music education helps to develop also has a lot in common with the qualities of entrepreneurial individuals. Music education is an emotionally intensive activity while at the same time being focused on discipline, regular practice, and accountability towards peers. Similarly, any entrepreneurial project is extremely focused on being passion-driven while requiring time investments and a conscious commitment to the task at hand. The ability to create and work in teams is also a distinct characteristic of both entrepreneurial individuals and musical individuals. Entrepreneurship is often defined as the “creation of something from nothing” which is also how the act of making music is often defined. These evident similarities and the significant positive effects of music education on the strength of entrepreneurial identity suggest a likely causal relationship, as concluded by Jefremovs and Kozlinska. The findings of Winner and Hetland as well as Jefremovs and Kozlinska show that the skills learned in music education not only help the development of an entrepreneurial identity but also aid in the development of foundational skills needed in other traditional academic areas.

Music education doesn’t only have an effect on the development of real skills and characteristics over time, it also greatly impacts cognitive ability and thus academic success. In a study based on the effects of learning an instrument and cognitive ability as stated in the article “Please don’t stop the music: A meta-analysis of the cognitive and academic benefits of instrumental musical training in childhood and adolescence,” musical ability has a noteworthy impact on auditory and sensorimotor processes. Also mentioned in this article at Science Direct are findings that the foundational skills developed when learning how to play an instrument have significant benefits on cognitive skill. The overall process that is gone through when learning, and more importantly mastering, an instrument ultimately suggests how music education is an optimal cognitive trainer. Music is an activity that requires regular and motivated practice and, more crucially, the learning of progressively more and more difficult materials and concepts.

One of the biggest counter-arguments that is made toward the benefits of music education is the fact that some students may just simply be more gifted or talented, thus allowing them to succeed not only within music but in other aspects of their lives without having those developmental abilities nurtured through the learning of music. While this proposal may have significance in the fact that those who are more likely to be open to taking musical endeavors may have a higher socio-economic status thus allowing them to be open to more experiences and having the preconceived ability of adaptiveness to new tasks. As mentioned in the Science Direct article, it is important that the students who may have that desire are still nurtured and given the opportunity to pursue such endeavors nonetheless.

Another significantly more common counter-argument against the funding of music education programs is that music education is just a distraction from academics. As stated in the article “The Most Common Arguments Against Music Education,” a staggering amount of people hold the opinion that music is “just noise” and is inessential to performing well in school. It is also commonly said that students waste far too much time practicing, attending performances, and going on trips, ultimately taking away from critical time in the classroom. Adversely, as stated in the article “Benefits of Music Education,” research has shown that music education actually reaps many benefits including impacting students’ academic successes ranging from improved test scores to even significant positive effects on brain development. Although these effects seem promising in the hopes of keeping music education in all schools, it is widely argued that all of these benefits could be taken advantage of outside of school at the leisure of the student without taking away from crucial in-class time and distracting the student from their studies.

Nowadays, virtually any student has the ability to educate themselves in music through the use of blogs, step by step YouTube videos, wiki pages, and even mailing lists catered to those eager to learn music at any age and any skill-level. There are thousands of online music schools that can be accessed for the fraction of the price of an institutionalized music program at ANY time. Realistically, going along with the idea that the benefits of music education can be explored outside of school without taking away from core academics, private music lessons during a student’s free time are just as good, or even better, than any in-school music program. Who wouldn’t prefer to be taught one-on-one rather than in a classroom of 30+ students? If you asked any student who has experienced a music class in school they would most likely explain how distracting the noise from the other students messing with their instruments was. They might also explain how they couldn’t fully grasp the concepts that were taught due to the fact that they may be at a different skill-level than the rest of the class or simply because they couldn’t focus due to the noise. Private lessons completely eliminate these issues that are often faced by students attempting to learn music in school. Not only do they just simply eliminate these problems but they also help nurture the student in a way that a music educator teaching a room full of students simply cannot.

Even though the route of private lessons or online learning seems to be the best solution for eliminating the “wasted time” that is spent in school on music education, it is easy to disregard the fact that this would all be costing money on top of what is already spent to keep the student enrolled in school. The beauty of music education in schools is that it is already a part of what is being spent on the student attending school. Students get to experience music during school hours, with friends, and can possibly experience massive benefits without ever thinking of being interested in music prior to experiencing it in school. Eliminating music education from schools isn’t just eliminating “wasted time”, it is also taking away the chance of students having exposure to music education at all. If music education isn’t offered then the benefits it can reap are eliminated entirely, at least for the working middle class who can’t afford a subscription service or private lessons on top of school.

Aside from the significant benefits that developing a musically inclined mind through rigorous technical training and cognitive training can have on an individual, it is also crucial to note the undeniable benefits that simply being exposed to and listening to music can have on someone. Most noteworthy are the effects of the enjoyment of music as stated in the article based on how pleasurable music affects the brain in a study by Benjamin P. Gold titled “Pleasurable music affects reinforcement learning according to the listener”. Dopamine release plays a major role in how people enjoy music which in turn creates an opportunity for reward-based decision making to be greatly affected. The ability of musical pleasure to then influence task performance allows for many benefits within music education as well as music therapy. Also important to note is how music affects productivity as mentioned in the article “The Science of Music and Productivity” by Sam Kemmis. Relating directly to the dopamine release that occurs when enjoying music, by associating that reward based behavior with learning, such as putting a song on while studying or performing various other tasks, one can train their brain to better approach the work. As shown in this study, there is a significant increase in mood, quality of work, concentration, and productivity when performing tasks while listening to music.

When discussing the possibility of increasing or simply even continuing funding for music education programs in schools it is often argued that music education is inessential, a distraction from core academics, and ultimately a waste of time for students. These arguments are often brought on from the idea that music is strictly for entertainment and cannot be a “legitimate career”. Although valid to a certain degree, oftentimes these arguments are made off the basis of misinformation in the ways that music can actually affect a students success in and out of the classroom.

As stated in the journal article “Nurturing Towards Wisdom: Justifying Music in the Curriculum,” accepting the views of those who are against music education would deny the basis of the basic human rights that are considered to belong to every human being regardless of their cultural background: one being the freedom of expression. Nurturing creativity and expression, above all else, can have the most impact on a student’s life during and far after school. Creativity involves skills like being observant, identifying problems, seeing possibilities, taking risks, making mistakes, rethinking, etc., all crucial in the development of a successful student. During music education, skills like teamwork, creativity, communication, and expression can all be learned in various ways through the exploration and understanding of music. All of these skills are immensely important to any career regardless if it involves music or not. Eliminating the possibility of students ever getting the chance to develop these skills through music in school could lead to the student never learning these skills at all. Ultimately, removing music education from the curriculum is only saving a budget at the cost of many possibly life-changing opportunities for students.

Although seemingly unimportant to those who only focus on standardized test scores and only care about performance in “traditional academic areas”, music education has been proven to be very impactful in the development of foundational academic and life skills, academic success, and even entrepreneurial ability. Music education is also extremely impactful in the way it correlates to other aspects of academics in mathematics and science. With the appreciation of the fact that music does in fact build foundational skills needed in “traditional academic areas” and the fact that skills learned in music education have been shown to transfer to many areas including entrepreneurial ability, there is undeniable reason for why music education must be upheld in the same light as mathematics and science. As the great Greek philosopher Plato once said, “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.“

References

Arts, M. &, Music & Arts. (2021, August 16). The most common arguments against music education (& how to counter them). The Vault at Music & Arts. https://thevault.musicarts.com/the-most-common-arguments-against-music-education-how-to-counter-them/

Arts, M. &, Music & Arts. (2021, August 16). Benefits of Music Education. The Vault at Music & Arts. https://thevault.musicarts.com/benefits-music-education/

Correlation between math and Music ability. Brain Balance Achievement Centers. https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/correlation-between-math-and-music-ability

Gold, B. P., Frank, M. J., Bogert, B., & Brattico, E. (2013, August 21). Pleasurable music affects reinforcement learning according to the listener. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00541/full

Goodreads. A quote by Plato. Goodreads. https://tinyurl.com/aquotebyplato

Heimonen, M. (2008). Nurturing towards wisdom: Justifying music in the curriculum. Philosophy of Music Education Review. https://doi.org/10.2979/pme.2008.16.1.61

Kemmis, S. (2019, April 11). The Science of Music and Productivity. Zapier. https://zapier.com/blog/music-and-productivity/

Music education in adolescence – journals.sagepub.com.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09504222211042282

M&Mquotes.html. https://tinyurl.com/mandmquotes. 

Oare, S. (2017, July 3). Music Education and 21st Century skills. Kansas Music Review.https://tinyurl.com/musiceducationandcurrents. 

Román-Caballero, R., Vadillo, M. A., Trainor, L. J., & Lupiáñez, J. (2022, January 25). Please don’t stop the music: A meta-analysis of the cognitive and academic benefits of instrumental musical training in childhood and adolescence. Educational Research Review.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X22000057

WWW-JSTOR-org.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3333636