Music Education Benefits: Why Students Need Them
By
Navy Specialist plays tuba, image in public domain
Guest Post by Alexis Bonari
How Music Promotes Success
According to a compilation of documented music education by Music Education Online, there are four major areas in which music plays a significant role in students’ development and increased success. These general areas comprise the development of intelligence, life skills, societal aptitude, and academic achievement.
Development of Intelligence – Musical training has been shown to enhance brain function, specifically in a demonstration gthat showed how painists’ brains are more efficient at making skilled movements than non-musicians’ brains. Music also teaches students to focus on, organize, and execute several demanding tasks at the same time – and to do it well. By developing the intelligence and skill to perform complex pieces of music, students utilize their minds to a fuller potential. Skill-building music programs in elementary schools hav eproduced higher levels of reading and math skills, proving that music transcends and informs different disciplines. Even spatial-temporal IQ scores can be improved with music instruction, which demonstrates that many areas of the brain can benefit from music instruction.
Well-developed intelligence is useful in many areas of life, especially professional advancement and academic pursuits. Students who have increased their intelligence by participating in music instruction are well prepared to compete for and acquire top career positions.
Life Skills - Self-discipline, diligence, self-expression, cooperation, communication, care for others, and many other life skills can be learned from music instruction. Practice takes self-discipline and diligence, the creative nature of music allows for self-expression, collaborative music requires cooperation and communication, and performance takes the audience’s best interests into consideration.
These skills are all useful in the real world, so even when students have graduated from their music programs, the knowledge and skills they’ve learned stay with them and help them through life.
Societal Aptitude - Music serves as an effective anti-drug according to the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, secondary students involved in band and orchestra reported the lowest previous and current use of controlled substances. Students who are given the opportunity to devote their free time to studying music are less likely to spend that time on more harmful acitvities. Music is also frequently used to introduce cultural traditions and elements that might otherwise be inaccessible to students. This prepares students to be responsible global citizens who are interested in people and places outside of their own countries. Additionally, increased self esteem has been documented in students who were provided with music education.
When students are able to avoid controlled substances and be more confident, responsible citizens becuase of music instruction, they have a better chance of becoming successful and functional members of society.
Academic Achievement - Unusually high levels of math proficiency at grade 12 have been reported for students who were consistently involved in music pursuits during their middle and high school careers. This demonstrates that continued music education can build a student’s academic aptitude exponentially over an extended period of time. On average, music students also receive more academic honors, awards, and high grades (As and Bs) than non-music students.
Earning high grades doesn’t always translate directly to the real world, but high-achieving individuals are often successful in their careers. By developing the confidence and skills to succeed in school, music students can become successful professionals who continue to outperform their peers.
For more documentation of the many benefits of music education, you can visit the Music Education Online advocacy page.
March’s Monthly Muse is written by Alexis Bonari, a freelance writer and amateur musician. Lately she’s been researching scholarships for women and wishing she didn’t have a student loan debt equal to her mortgage payment.
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