Music is an essential part of the educational experience. It pains me to see that schools are continuing to lose their music programs; cutting jobs, reducing classes, and eliminating music requirements. Most schools do not have general music classes for students in grades eight or above. Some high schools have "Fine Arts" requirements, but this could allow a student to take only art classes.
Music is the universal language. It is present in every culture around the world. It may take on different forms and play different roles, but its purposes remain the same. Music is first and foremost meant to entertain. It is presented to an audience for their enjoyment. (Do not confuse enjoyment with being happy. A gut-wrenchingly sorrowful piece can provide intense enjoyment.) But music can also be used to celebrate, to mourn, to praise, to honor, to heal, and to soothe.
Music is also used to teach, especially with younger children. It is an excellent educational tool because it contains so many different subjects. It has math (counting, addition, fractions, division), foreign language (musical terms are typically in Italian, but are also frequently found in French and German), science (physics of sound, acoustics), physical education (training muscle memory, breathing exercises), and history (learning about historical context of pieces and influences of time periods upon writing). Music also teaches students abstract thought, as they learn the visual representation of sound. Practicing music teaches students to strive for their best.
Perhaps most importantly, music is a means of expression. So many things can be conveyed through music that could never be said or written. It provides an outlet for emotion and creativity that the other subjects do not. It is subjective and teaches students the important lesson of "personal opinion".
Music is constantly present in our everyday lives. Especially now that mp3 players and CDs are so cheap and readily available to the masses. It is important for people to be able to speak intelligently about music. Ideally, I feel everyone should be able to either sing or play an instrument, but at least a solid background in music is desirable.
Without music, life would be a mistake. -Friederich Nietzsche
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