(O’Neil and Schenke 60). On the other hand, music programs often rely on parental dona- tions and fundraisers for their budgets. You might have noticed that this inequality of funding has pushed many students toward other programs instead of music, depriving us of the benefits that a well-funded music program would have to offer us. While it is understandable that budget cuts may need to be made, if the importance of music in education was more commonly understood, I believe that there would be more money allocated to these programs and students would be more likely to partake in them. I am hoping to spread awareness about the im- portance of music by shedding light on the creative benefits, identity formation skills, and technology relief that music courses have to offer. By doing so, hopefully I will re- spark an interest in music for some students who have already turned away from it.
creativity? Would it have been as enjoyable? Would it have been as impactful? If you cut music from your own education, you are de- priving yourself from a creative experience that will have everlasting impacts on you and your development. Not only is creativity essential to the human experience, but it also has many important benefits such as boosted levels of happiness and stress alleviation (Csikszentmihalyi 11). Research also shows that creativity leads to higher levels of verbal facility, fluency, flex - ibility, and originality compared to their non- creative counterparts (Drevdahl 26). Lastly, studies show that music is essential to crea- tive development, imagination, and original- ity (Kiehn 285). Creating, sharing, and playing music are all ways to engage with the creative parts of your brain. When I was a kid, learning to play instruments and singing along to songs always made my imagination run wild. Should we really deprive ourselves of these experi- ences and opportunities at the high school and college level solely because we think mu- sic is not a sustainable career or that it won’t add to our professional success?
Music in Education: What’s Its Importance?
by Olivia Brand
I'm Olivia Brand. I am from Vermont, and I am a college student studying psychology and music.
Where’d The Music Go?
I am going to ask you to take a moment to re- flect on your experiences with music classes in school as a kid; think of all the positive memories you have of playing instruments, singing with friends, and performing in school concerts. Although music has been a comprehensive part of the American educa- tion system since the 19th century, in the past two decades the economic recession has left local and state governments with less funding available for public schools (Slaton 33). Unfortunately, the arts and music pro- grams have been among the first to experi - ence budget cuts in most public K-12 schools, music conservatories, and universities across the country (Slaton 33). These budget cuts have left millions of students like ourselves to experience poor music programs, result- ing in students turning away from music and toward other extracurriculars such as sports. Without music, we will be deprived of the creative development skills, identity forma- tion skills, and technological relief that these
courses have to offer–– we the students must speak out and advocate for better programs be- fore they’re gone. Music often struggles to find its place in educa - tion because it has been viewed as both an aca- demic subject and an extracurricular activity. When music is viewed as an academic subject, it always ranks low on importance compared to STEM and other liberal arts courses. Many peo - ple argue that you need to learn math, science, and how to read and write, but that you don’t need to learn how to play an instrument. This viewpoint often leaves music to be overlooked and unprioritized. On the contrary, when music is seen as an extracurricular activity, it often takes a backseat to sports due to the large dona- tions they bring in from alumni at both the high school and collegiate levels. The NCAA reported that charitable donations made to Division I ath- letic departments have more than doubled from 1990 to 2000 from 1.55 million to 3.5 million
Music & The Creative Mind
“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”- Ken Robinson Some of my fondest childhood memories are from moments in which my imagination and creativity were running wild and I was freed from the pressures of everyday life. Storytelling before bed, singing along to The Laurie Berkner Band, and drawing with chalk in my driveway; all of these moments were ones in which the creative side of my brain was in full activation. As a high school stu- dent, I’d like you to ask yourself what would your childhood have looked like without
Identity Formation Through Music
As a kid, you’re easily molded by the influ - ences of the world around you. Many students, like myself, find a large part of our identity through music; the kinds of songs we like, our favorite artists and bands–– our taste in music becomes a central part of most of our lives. Music has shown to assist adolescents through the process of constructing and modifying their personal and group identities by helping
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Arts & Humanities
Don’t Leave College Without Them
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