The Role of Music in Education
Music belongs with the three R’s as a model for the educated person. Indeed, studies show that children who study music also do better in other subjects than children who are not getting a music education. Neuro-psychologists do not know why musically trained kids do better on academic tests, yet they do. But perhaps more importantly, music adds a special and beautiful element to a child’s life, and it enriches that life permanently. Music is the gift of a lifetime.
Gradually, school districts throughout the United States are realizing the value of music as a major part of the curriculum. But it has not always been that way. Indeed, for many decades musical education in public schools was ignored. In some, it still is. Music education was seen as a frill, not worthy of much attention. Schools dropped their bands or orchestras and even eliminated classroom singing. A renowned composer, Ned Rorem, once said that “In the old days, whether kids hated music or not, there it was. Now, it is not even there to hate.” That comment reminded me of a story I heard about Burt Bacharach, the great composer and pianist. Burt, the story goes, was compelled by his mom to take piano lessons and to practice, practice, practice, often against his wishes. “I hated being at that keyboard when the other kids were having fun. But later, I was so grateful that my mother pressured me to practice. It obviously created a life with music that I would otherwise have never had.” Let’s hear it for fascist moms. Look what Burt gave to the world.
Thanks to Bacharach and others like him there is a changing attitude toward music education. More and more schools are revving up their music and arts programs. Indeed, the arts are even moving into other subjects, For example, at Timberlake Middle School in Colorado Springs, you’ll find social studies teacher Leslie Brinkley using art in her classes. Kids learn about the Middle Ages by drawing their own medieval kingdoms. And in Dave Marshall’s science classes, students have used cookies, pizza and hair gel to craft 3-D models of a cell. I learned that in a Gazette article (September 30, 2000) by Nancy Mitchell. Nancy pointed out that the infusion of arts cuts across all subjects; and that was the basis for Timberlake being named a National School of Distinction by The Kennedy Center. I have not heard of a similar program using music in non-music classes, but it is conceivable.
Herbert Kupferberg, writing in the February 28, 1999 issue of Parade Magazine, said “I got my initial indication of an improvement in U.S. musical education firsthand, when my granddaughter, aged 8, arrived home from school with the announcement that she was being given ‘a flute you can blow into from the end.’” Herb notes that the instrument was a recorder, an ancient musical pipe often used to introduce children to reading notes and making pleasurable sounds—in other words, the art of making music. You may have been present at one of the Black Rose Acoustic Society (BRAS) open stages at which a recorder was played. Local music teacher Beezy Taylor (see advertisement, page 2) is among those who have played recorder on the BRAS stage, to everyone’s delight.
Music courses may not turn students into musicians, but chemistry classes don’t necessarily make them chemists either. I agree with Mr. Kupferberg when he says that “music and the arts are worth knowing for their own sake. . . . Trigonometry is for a term, music is for a lifetime.” I pointed out earlier the research that shows that kids who study music also do well in other subjects. That doesn’t mean that if your child takes up the banjo, he or she will get straight A’s. That probably would not happen even if he or she took up guitar. Nevertheless, students with four or more years of study in the arts outscored students with six months or less of arts instruction. They outscored by a combined total of 82 points on the verbal and mathematics portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Tests. So reports the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J. You can teach music simply because it is music. But if you can show a correlation with the SAT scores, school boards will sit up and take notice.
Joan Schmidt, director of the National School Boards Association, says that “Music has a tremendous value as an academic discipline. It contributes to the understanding of other subjects. There is a big difference between learning about something and doing it. With music, you do both.” That is why the Black Rose Acoustic Society has a primary focus on music education. The BRAS music scholarship program (see article, page 12) is a manifestation of this organization’s commitment to music education. Another such manifestation is the ongoing music courses sponsored by BRAS. But let’s not be too serious about music education’s role. Reflections about music can be serious, yes. But they can be funny too. Herb Kupferberg, in his Parade article, said “I was delighted . . .to hear my granddaughter play ‘Hot Cross Buns’ on her recorder. So far, it’s the only thing she knows, but a Beethoven symphony couldn’t have thrilled me more. And if it helps with her spelling, so much the better.” Hmmm, I wonder if that terrific music teacher Beezy Taylor knows “Hot Cross Buns?”
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