The Resurrection of the Art of Music (Micah White)

The Resurrection of the Art of Music

            Victor Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to remain silent.”  Creating and learning music seems to have the ability to provide an outlet for expressing emotions that could not be expressed otherwise. It gives people the ability to communicate emotions and ideas without being able to speak or understand the same language. Music allows for a flow of expression through working independently or with other people. It creates the rare opportunity to be both independent and dependent on others at the same time. The importance of music has seldom been overlooked in the past. However, all things change with time.

In recent times, there has been a large amount of discussion over the importance of programs in schools used to educate students in music. Many of those in charge of public schools feel that music classes are no longer necessary for career and social development. They also believe that removing these programs from public schools would have no negative effects and would actually create positive results for students, parents, and teachers alike. However, there could be severe ramifications that would result from the removal of music classes. They are focusing more on how to increase funding for other areas than they are on the benefits of learning music. To overlook the importance of music education would be a serious mistake on their parts. Recently, others have taken action against the removal of music from public schools. Although it may be a difficult process, it is possible to prevent cutting music classes while not taking too much away from other areas. Studies have shown that learning music not only provides young people with a stable emotional outlet, but also has educational, mental, and social benefits.

            Over the last few years, many people have started to voice their opinions concerning the validity of the programs that teach music to students in public schools. There is constant debate over whether or not these classes should be removed totally from schools, and both sides involved in the debate have come up with many arguments for and against this proposal. One of the main arguments used against music classes is that they cost far more than they are really worth. Although those that use this argument ignore the tremendous benefits of music education, there is one reason that this argument is easily defeated. When compared to sports and other extra-curricular activities, music classes cost a small fraction of the amount needed to maintain these programs. Also, most of the students involved in music classes fund class supplies and trips with their own money. In contrast, sports players pay little to nothing when traveling back and for between schools for away games and many have the majority of their equipment and uniforms provided to them by the schools. Sports programs would survive through cuts if the students participating in them were required to aid the providing of funding as the students involved in music programs usually are.

Furthermore, sports do not enter the minds of board members when cuts are being decided until after the fine arts have been stripped of large amounts of funding. When discussing the cuts planned for Jordan-Elbridge High School, Dave Gallaro had this to say: “The music program is slated for a 41 percent cut in the band budget, $24,000 out of $59,000. The athletic program is facing a 28 percent cut, but that program starts with $500,000.” Cuts like these leave music teachers asking for more money due to the imbalance of the funding while coaches are quite comfortable with the amount of money provided to them. When occurrences such as these happen, it is hard for people on the outside to recognize the importance of music programs due to the fact that they are constantly thought of as the object of least importance. Due to this attitude, it has come to be believed that music programs provide few real benefits for the students participating in them. Also, people believe that time would best be spent focusing on the core subjects in order to improve the test scores of students attending their schools.

The federal government has recently undergone steps involving legislation that is being used to raise the educational standards of schools. Programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have put math and reading skills at a higher priority level than the other core subject. These programs have also set up certain requirements for the raising of the test scores of students. If schools fail to meet these requirements, they lose funding. Because of these programs, a much stronger emphasis has been put on classes that teach reading skills and skills in mathematics. When this happens, schools put more funding and time into these classes, taking away from the required time and funds needed to continue music education programs. Some schools are cutting music classes completely in order to make as much time as possible for reading and math classes. They are also seeking to raise the amount of funds brought into these classes in order to do what they think will optimize the performance of each individual student. There have been studies that show that actions such as these have not had the exact benefits that were foreseen by those that made them happen.

Many people have researched the effects of removing the fine arts from schools, and have almost always come back with quite negative results.

Martin Rayala, an employee for the Department of Public Instruction, said, “Within two to three years, every school that cuts arts showed a decrease in morale and attendance and an increase in vandalism and disruptions, and within three years most of them had to add extensive disciplinary staff to account for the problems that were created by not providing the full range of experiences that human beings need.”

When looking a school’s change over time, the schools that cut music definitely have changes take place, and these changes are quite large. However, they are the opposite of what the expected outcomes were. Situations similar to the one described above create problems other than disciplinary ones. The increased need for hiring disciplinary staff creates a financial burden on the schools required to do so. Sometimes, the burden created is greater than the one previously required to have the music programs in place. Besides the financial aspects of keeping music classes going, other student benefits are also reduced dramatically.

            Time after time, music has been proven to enhance a person’s mind. There is even more mental growth is even greater when a person is exposed to music and classes that teach it at a younger age. This exposure, resulting in an increase in the mental capacity of a person, serves that person later on in life when learning new subjects, such as reading and mathematics. Studies have been conducted that show that students who are constantly involved with music from a young age tend to get higher test scores and grades despite not spending the amount of time needed for the music classes on math and reading classes. Music also helps to improve the social aspects of a person’s life.

            Many people have been quoted giving positive reviews of their experiences in music classes growing up. Spending time involved in music creates an alternative use of a student’s free time that could be otherwise spent in areas that are not so beneficial to them. When students have nothing to do with their free time, they tend to begin searching for activities to partake in, and often times, these activities are far from acceptable. Extreme examples of these activities are joining gangs, drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, etc. Being in a class with other students who all share the same passion (or passions similar to each other) does more than simply teach music or take up a student’s free time, however. These classes teach students how to interact with and function among students who may be very different than themselves. They also teach certain students how to become leaders among their peers, while teaching others that they do not always have to be in charge of every situation. They develop in a person the understanding of one’s self and of others around them. Music classes also teach students how to set goals, discover the steps required to meet said goals, and persevere in order to achieve the goal and accomplish each step along the way. When considering the emotions of a student, many of them keep their feelings to themselves and refuse to show them due to the fact that they cannot express them in a way that they are comfortable with. However, when given the chance to express emotions through music, students almost always immediately respond in a positive way. Music creates for them a way to release their emotions all at once in a safe and wholesome way that benefits themselves, along with the students that get to enjoy the art of music with them. Time and time again, music has shown that it has more benefits than it does negative effects.

            Based on the experiments and surveys conducted by researchers, it is shown that music and the programs that teach it have the ability to aid in a student’s emotional problems and education, as well as their overall mental and social health. While requiring funds to operate, music programs make up a small fraction of a school’s total funds and would end up being more expensive if they were cut. The reasons for cutting music programs are not wholly valid, nor is the research behind them sufficient enough for the execution of these cuts. After considering all of the research done on music classes and their effects, how could music classes be removed from schools when the lives of students attending them would be so drastically affected?