Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

Recently I read a very interesting article detailing the importance of school band programs and their positive effect on the overall student academic achievement and social development.

Even though this article is focused on band programs, the information can be applied to any school arts program.

Academic Achievement

For years it has been common knowledge to music educators that involvement in band, choir, orchestra and other ensembles prepares students for life success no matter what vocation they select.

As stated in Banddirector.com: “It’s no wonder that kids who play music tend to do better in math and science — there is little room for error in playing a piece of music correctly.”

“Studies show that students who play music far outperform their non-musical peers in academic testing and are less likely in the course of their lives to suffer substance abuse problems.”

Physical and Mental Development

“Time spent learning music strengthens memory capacity, increases coordination, ingrains habits of self-improvement, furthers emotional development, and boosts confidence.”

Again, from the above-mentioned article: “Neuroscientists have shown that playing music actually changes a child’s brain structure, enhancing auditory discrimination, fine motor skills, vocabulary, and non-verbal reasoning.”

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

Social and Emotional Skills

This is especially true in middle school. “Music makes a child’s life better, and music-making with others makes the sometimes-awkward days of childhood so much less solitary.”

Teamwork

“Playing in a band, like team sports, gives kids challenges that they overcome together.” Those of you with middle school programs know what I’m talking about!

I used the team sports analogy hundreds of times during my 40+ teaching career. The concept of working together to achieve a common goal is relatable to so many of our students who do participate in team sports.

• Teams warm up.
• Teams practice together.
• Individual team members practice techniques by themselves that are applied when playing with the team:
  • Just to name a few:
    • shooting free throws,
    • kicking the extra point,
    • that volleyball serve,
    • dribbling the basketball,
    • passing long distances,
    • soccer kicks into the goal net,
    • hockey shots
  • All of the above mentioned skills are then applied in the team effort

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

Think of all of the techniques that our students also practice individually and then apply them when playing with the ensemble:

• Bands warm up together
• Bands practice together
• Individual band members practice techniques by themselves that are applied when playing with the ensemble:
  • Breathing
  • Articulation
  • Style
  • Rhythm
  • Dynamics
  • Techniques unique to their instrument
• All of the above mentioned skills are then applied in the band’s performance

HOWEVER, at the same time I was using the sports “team” analogy in band rehearsal, no matter the grade level, I was emphatic about what I view as the significant difference between a music ensemble and team sports.

This is a rendition of what I would say:

Each of you is an essential component of this group and play an important, necessary and irreplaceable part in the group’s success.

In band (orchestra, choir) every ONE of you is a “varsity or first team” player. There is no “bench” or “sideline.” There are no second string players.

Yes, we could perform without you. But we are stronger and will perform better with you.

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

How many former students have told you, “I would never be where I am if it hadn’t been for my (band, choir, orchestra) experience!” Chances are there are more of your former students who feel this way but you never hear about it.

Think about your own experience. I can certainly name the music teachers in my life who were influential and formative to my development as an person and a music educator. These range from:

• My piano teacher when I was six years old through high school
• My elementary, junior high and high school band and choir directors
• My undergraduate and graduate professors
• Teaching colleagues and administrators in every position I have held.

Impact On a School’s Environment

Just imagine for a minute what any middle school, high school, or even college would be like without the band. Often the band is an integral part of not only sporting events but impacts other prominent school activities and ceremonies.

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

None of these, and a plethora of other events, would not be as exciting, emotional and memorable without the band (or choir or orchestra). And it all starts with those beginners and progresses through high school and beyond.

Other Events

And what about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or the Rose Bowl Parades? Imagine those without the marching bands!! Other than the balloons and floats, these would be pretty boring without the bands.

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

Since I began teaching instrumental music in the mid 1970s there has been a disturbing trend that seems to be common in school districts all over the country. Teachers in the arts are constantly having to justify their programs to keep them alive. 

School Boards and administrators ask questions like:

• Is this program really necessary? 
• Is the operating cost justified within the school budget?
• Band uniforms are going to cost HOW MUCH?!
• Is it THAT important to school curriculum?
• Here is a plan to save money. We the cut back the music teacher’s position to part time, including the part time librarian position plus extra lunch room supervision and after-school detention but keep them at the same part-time salary.

Arrrrgh!

Five Strong Reasons Music Education Works For Our Students

Effect on School District and Community

I feel very fortunate to have taught in school districts in three states. Each of the districts understood the importance of the arts, and in my case instrumental music, in their students’ education journey. The mental, physical and social aspects of playing an instrument have been proven over and over.

Yet, I still hear of school districts cutting back or eliminating instrumental music programs. Usually it has to do with money. It makes me think of that song from Caberet, “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round.” Often these decisions are only based on money with a lesser concern of the long term effects such a decision may have.

By elimination and/or trimming back of an arts program like band, the entire school community and atmosphere are forever altered. It may take years to rebuild a program after being dismantled.

But as those of us who are in the trenches know, money is not the only factor in determining the value any school program outside of the core curriculum. 

“By playing in a group, a child learns how to both play both for him or herself as well as for others.” Many students, myself included, viewed their school’s music program as the motivation to get up and go to school. 

For me, and I would guess for most of my fellow band, choir and orchestra teachers, this is how I felt about my school music program:

On the menu of school classes: It was not dessert. It was the main course.

My guess is that your students feel the same way.

—————————————————————————————————

I have been developing a series of digital products to help music educators. Though designed to help with remote and distance learning challenges, these have also had success with in-class individual review and drill as well as in-person group lessons. Check out my growing list of offerings on the links below.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tbmusic

https://wow.boomlearning.com/author/tbmusic