Keeping Music in Schools.
Music. What is music? Music can take form in many different ways. Music and art has always been around. Everywhere we go you can see that. Even look around at the PNC campus and you can see the art and read the description of what they are. Those artists had to start somewhere. That’s right school. Beginning as early as elementary school. In essence music and art would not be what it is today without these beginning classes.
Music and the arts are being cut more and more from schools. This issue is very relevant in our day and is something that is becoming more popular. A survey, by the Center on Education Policy, found that since the passage the No Child Left Behind, 71 percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts had reduced the hours of instructional time spent on history, music and other subjects to open up more time for reading and math. All that time is lost of the opportunity to be in music and art programs.
Others might say a few things that are for the idea of cutting music programs from schools. Some might say that the reasons for cutting music programs include: it cuts costs, it makes music education optional for those that do not enjoy music, they say the loud noises from the music department are a distraction to other classrooms, and that music is difficult to understand. These reasons could be reasons to cut music, but they are not good enough to get rid of a child's chances of learning music in school.
Others may say that music should be cut from school, but researchers have found that having music in school has a big effect on the way a student learns and performs in a very positive w ay. Keeping music programs in schools would be very beneficial to a student.
‘Champions of Change, the Impact of the Arts on Learning’ is the most comprehensive study on the subject of students involvement in the fine arts and how it relates to academic success. The study builds a strong for students achieving higher levels of academic success and in higher overall numbers when involved with fine art.
Music. What is music? Music can take form in many different ways. Music and art has always been around. Everywhere we go you can see that. Even look around at the PNC campus and you can see the art and read the description of what they are. Those artists had to start somewhere. That’s right school. Beginning as early as elementary school. In essence music and art would not be what it is today without these beginning classes.
Music and the arts are being cut more and more from schools. This issue is very relevant in our day and is something that is becoming more popular. A survey, by the Center on Education Policy, found that since the passage the No Child Left Behind, 71 percent of the nation's 15,000 school districts had reduced the hours of instructional time spent on history, music and other subjects to open up more time for reading and math. All that time is lost of the opportunity to be in music and art programs.
Others might say a few things that are for the idea of cutting music programs from schools. Some might say that the reasons for cutting music programs include: it cuts costs, it makes music education optional for those that do not enjoy music, they say the loud noises from the music department are a distraction to other classrooms, and that music is difficult to understand. These reasons could be reasons to cut music, but they are not good enough to get rid of a child's chances of learning music in school.
Others may say that music should be cut from school, but researchers have found that having music in school has a big effect on the way a student learns and performs in a very positive w ay. Keeping music programs in schools would be very beneficial to a student.
‘Champions of Change, the Impact of the Arts on Learning’ is the most comprehensive study on the subject of students involvement in the fine arts and how it relates to academic success. The study builds a strong for students achieving higher levels of academic success and in higher overall numbers when involved with fine art.
According to the study;
- 82.6% of 8th graders earned mostly As and Bs who were involved heavily in fine arts versus 67.2% earning As and Bs who were not.
Fine arts help teach students far more than how to draw roses in a vase, or how to play the violin. They help stimulate the creative part of the child’s mind, teach discipline, and instill a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth. These attributes not only help students do better academically, but do better in their adult life, with their career, their new family, and their emotional well being.
Many people might say a few things that are for the idea of cutting music programs from schools. Some might say that the reasons for cutting music programs include: it cuts costs, it makes music education optional for those that do not enjoy music, they say the loud noises from the music department are a distraction to other classrooms, and that music is difficult to understand. These reasons could be reasons to cut music, but they are not good enough to get rid of a child's chances of learning music in school.
Even though cutting music from the budget might cut costs, there are better places to cut from to balance the budget. Those that say that the music department is loud and distracts other classroom, there can be a solution to this problem. It may not be a cheap option, but in order to keep the program it can be done. It is that schools can invest in sound-proof rooms in order to not bother other classrooms. The last one that critics might say is that music is hard to understand. The first thought is that the people that are stating that have a bias thought behind that idea. Music can be just as difficult to understand as a math or science class. In most cases the math and science class can be the harder class by far. To say that music should be cut for those reason are not good reasons to cut music from the budget.
Think back to when you were a kid in elementary school. Do you remember what it was like to be in a music class? Every day was a new adventure that the teacher would take you on. I always remember even until this day getting to play with various instruments and learning how to play the recorder. When I was a kid music class was the highlight of my school day. I am sure that you felt that way too. Now imagine that your kids, when they get to elementary school are denied the opportunity to enjoy music classes like you got to enjoy it when you were little. How would that make you feel if you knew that the reason your kid was not given this opportunity was just because a school system decided that music was not important anymore? This alone should make anyone want to keep music programs.
Music educators have a big importance in the world of teaching students music. “Students need the help of their teachers to explore and understand the many varieties of contemporary music. Music educators today have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to introduce our students to the art music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Elementary and secondary school students should know that composers are living and working in their communities. They should be aware of the diverse styles and genres of contemporary music and have an opportunity to play works of new music.
Fine arts help teach students far more than how to draw roses in a vase, or how to play the violin. They help stimulate the creative part of the child’s mind, teach discipline, and instill a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth. These attributes not only help students do better academically, but do better in their adult life, with their career, their new family, and their emotional well being.
Many people might say a few things that are for the idea of cutting music programs from schools. Some might say that the reasons for cutting music programs include: it cuts costs, it makes music education optional for those that do not enjoy music, they say the loud noises from the music department are a distraction to other classrooms, and that music is difficult to understand. These reasons could be reasons to cut music, but they are not good enough to get rid of a child's chances of learning music in school.
Even though cutting music from the budget might cut costs, there are better places to cut from to balance the budget. Those that say that the music department is loud and distracts other classroom, there can be a solution to this problem. It may not be a cheap option, but in order to keep the program it can be done. It is that schools can invest in sound-proof rooms in order to not bother other classrooms. The last one that critics might say is that music is hard to understand. The first thought is that the people that are stating that have a bias thought behind that idea. Music can be just as difficult to understand as a math or science class. In most cases the math and science class can be the harder class by far. To say that music should be cut for those reason are not good reasons to cut music from the budget.
Think back to when you were a kid in elementary school. Do you remember what it was like to be in a music class? Every day was a new adventure that the teacher would take you on. I always remember even until this day getting to play with various instruments and learning how to play the recorder. When I was a kid music class was the highlight of my school day. I am sure that you felt that way too. Now imagine that your kids, when they get to elementary school are denied the opportunity to enjoy music classes like you got to enjoy it when you were little. How would that make you feel if you knew that the reason your kid was not given this opportunity was just because a school system decided that music was not important anymore? This alone should make anyone want to keep music programs.
Music educators have a big importance in the world of teaching students music. “Students need the help of their teachers to explore and understand the many varieties of contemporary music. Music educators today have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to introduce our students to the art music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Elementary and secondary school students should know that composers are living and working in their communities. They should be aware of the diverse styles and genres of contemporary music and have an opportunity to play works of new music.
We music educators pass our attitudes about contemporary music on to our students, shaping their beliefs and guiding future interactions. If we choose to be proactive, we can introduce students to new music in ways that provide them with a positive experience. How we manage this responsibility may well have a lifelong effect on the attitudes our students form. Listening to and playing new music, working with living composers, learning about the many styles and genres, and developing an understanding of the music's historical context are the kinds of activities that can help students foster a positive relationship with contemporary music.
By adopting educational strategies that embrace new music, we contribute to a rich artistic milieu from which future exceptional artists can emerge. Engaging in new-music projects can introduce educators and students to the genre from the inside out, encouraging them to discover their interests, explore their potential, and gain an appreciation of the art of their time, while guaranteeing that the genre of contemporary music will flourish.
When we fail to help students build a relationship with new music, we contribute to the continued fragmentation of new and old music, played out in our failure to connect twentieth- and twenty-first-century music to its historical past. To find new music meaningful, one needs to understand how music written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is a continuation of the artistic achievements of earlier times, that styles and genres are dynamic, and that new styles and genres have continued to emerge and develop. Without an understanding of historical context and development, listeners are apt to dismiss, dislike, or simply ignore new music because the stylistic gap between new and old music is simply too wide for them to bridge. As educators, we can guarantee that new music survives, and even flourishes, by making sure that activities to support it are alive and well. The actions required to achieve this end are well within our abilities and resources. We must provide hands-on experience through exercises in listening, playing, and creating so that students can develop a rewarding lifelong relationship with new music.”
Something should be done about keeping music programs in schools. There are groups out there that are fighting to keeping music in school. If something is not done, by the time the future generations of kids get into school, music programs will cease to be important anymore. What a shame that would be to lose something in the future that is so beneficial now.
By adopting educational strategies that embrace new music, we contribute to a rich artistic milieu from which future exceptional artists can emerge. Engaging in new-music projects can introduce educators and students to the genre from the inside out, encouraging them to discover their interests, explore their potential, and gain an appreciation of the art of their time, while guaranteeing that the genre of contemporary music will flourish.
When we fail to help students build a relationship with new music, we contribute to the continued fragmentation of new and old music, played out in our failure to connect twentieth- and twenty-first-century music to its historical past. To find new music meaningful, one needs to understand how music written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is a continuation of the artistic achievements of earlier times, that styles and genres are dynamic, and that new styles and genres have continued to emerge and develop. Without an understanding of historical context and development, listeners are apt to dismiss, dislike, or simply ignore new music because the stylistic gap between new and old music is simply too wide for them to bridge. As educators, we can guarantee that new music survives, and even flourishes, by making sure that activities to support it are alive and well. The actions required to achieve this end are well within our abilities and resources. We must provide hands-on experience through exercises in listening, playing, and creating so that students can develop a rewarding lifelong relationship with new music.”
Something should be done about keeping music programs in schools. There are groups out there that are fighting to keeping music in school. If something is not done, by the time the future generations of kids get into school, music programs will cease to be important anymore. What a shame that would be to lose something in the future that is so beneficial now.
Works Cited
Dillon, Sam. “Schools Cut Back Subjects to Push Reading and Math.” The New York Times.
Web.
Hines, Eric. “Art and Music Department Budget Cuts, What it Means for Your Child and What
You Can Do as a Parent” CrazyVector.com. Web. 20 April 2011.Fiske, Edward B., Ed. “Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning” President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Washington, DC. Web.
Costes, Therese. “New Music: How Music Educators Can Save An Endangered Species.” Academic Search Premier. Web.
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