Hutson1

ChristopherHutson
Mrs.Scaife
Composition110:00
16November2015
TheMusicalLifethatInspiresAll
Everwonderedaboutthemanybenefitsofmusicandwhateffectsithashadonones
life?Maybelisteningtothesoothingsoundsofasongputsyouateasewhenyou'refeeling
downtheupbeatmusicthathelpsyoufocusduringanexamthedisciplineandrespectthatyou
learnwhenworkingtogetherinabandorperhapsthere'sadeepermeaningtoitthatonlyeach
andeverypersoncanfigureoutforthemselves.Intoday'sworld,musiceducationhashadagreat
effectonsocietywhenitcomestogivingstudentsapositiveoutlookonlifeandbringing
inspirationtothosethatcanrelatetomusiconamorepersonallevel.However,ismusic
educationconsideredtobeadistractionamongotherimportantsubjectsandcauseanegative
effectonhowpeopleoperateintoday'ssociety?Manymayagreewiththisquestionforthere
havebeenmanyknowncasesdealingwiththeeffectsofmusic.But,eventhoughtheremaybe
someargumentsagainstmusiceducation,thereissomuchmoretoitthatnoteveryonehasgiven
muchthoughtabout.Intoday'sworld,musichassparkedinterestinothersandhasinspiredthem
tofightforwhattheybelievein.DuetotheGleeshowthathasinfluencedsomany,the
21st
CenturyFoxandtheGiveaNoteFoundationhasproudlygiven20underfundedmusicprograms
acrosstheU.Stheopportunitytohaveamusiceducation.(Balek)So,musicisn'tadistraction
amongpeopleanditsuredoesn'tcauseanegativeeffectwhatsoever.Thatiswhymusic

Hutson2

educationshouldbeincreasedthroughouttheworldsothatthosewithoutamusicprogramcan
haveanewlighttofollow.
Aslifecontinuestoprogresson,many
maybegintoquestionwhatisthepointofhaving
musiceducation?Oneofthemainreasonsofwhy
musiceducationshouldbeenlargedthroughout
theworldisbecauseitpreparesstudentsforthe
workforce(Fig.1).Learningtoplayan
instrumentisthekeytodevelopingacademicand
socialskills.Asstudentsaroundtheworldpreparetocompeteinaglobalworkplace,beingable
tothinkcreativelyismainskilltohavetodeterminingaperson'sfuturesuccess.Employerssee
creativityasbeingoneofthetopfiveskillstohaveintheworkforce.Throughoutmymanyband
years,Ihavedevelopedtheskillstoworktogetherasateamwithmyfellowbandmatesand
foundthecouragetomakesomethingofmyself.Givingstudentstheopportunitytolearnhowto
playamusicalinstrumentcanhelpdevelopmentthesecriticalskillsandothers.Balancing
rehearsal,individualpractice,andacademicscandevelopselfesteemandtimemanagementina
student.Ofthemanyschoolsthatcontributetomusic
education,89%ofprincipalsfeelthatahighquality
musiceducationprogramcanhelpaschoolachieve
highergraduationrates.Also,94%ofrespondents
considermusiceducationasapartofawellrounded
education.Beingthesectionleaderofabandcanteach

Hutson3

astudenttheabilitytolead,coach,andmentor(Fig.2).Goingtosoloandensemblepractices
andperformancescandevelopselfconfidenceandgivethemtheabilitytoworksoloandin
teams.Withoutthemusicexperiencethatwesograciouslyhavetoday,noneoftheseskills
wouldbesoeasytogain.Somanypeoplearesupportingthecauseformusiceducationand
woulddoanythingtokeepitalivetilltheend.(VH1SavetheMusic)
Thenextreasonofwhymusiceducationshouldbeenlargedthroughouttheworldis
becauseithelpsdevelopemotionalmaturityinpeopleandhelpsthemcopewithreality.When
thePalestinianuprisingbeganinthe1980s,aphotographertookapictureofaboycryingwhile
throwingrocks,an8yearoldnamedRamziAburedwan.Theimagewasmeanttoshowtherage
andfrustrationoflifeintherefugeecamps.Althoughhewas
famouslyknown,Ramzi'slifechangedwhenhewasintroduced
tomusicat16.Ashestartedplayingviola,hereceiveda
scholarshiptostudyataconservatoryinFranceandsoonbegan
teaching.In2005,hestartedAlKamandjti,schoolstobring
musictothoseinPalestinian.Ramziwroteabookcalled,
ChildrenoftheStone,totellhisstoryofhowthepowerof
musicchangedhislife.Thegirlonthecoverofthebookwas
namedAlaandshehadasymbolicmeaningfortheviolinshe
washolding.InPalestine,givingachildatooltofight,like
musicorartorevensports,isanimportantthingtodo.ThemeaningofAlascoveristhatmusic
canbeapartofthefighting,andsocanart(Fig.3).Ramziputsonconcertsinsomeplacesto
directlychallengeIsraeliauthorities.Thiswasawaytosay"no"toallthesoldiersthere,and

Hutson4

alsotoplayforthosewaitinginbiglinesjusttogethomeorworkeachday,andtogethis
messageacrossthatPalestinewouldlovetohavefreedom,andwetheydoitwitheventhemost
pacifistwaythatexists.Throughmusic,alltheseyoungpeopleandthecitizensofPalestineare
tryingtofightinthebestwaypossiblesothatthekidscanberaisedinafreeandpeaceful
environment,justlikehowkidsaroundtheworldgrewuptobe.(Neary)
Thebirthofmusichaschangedthelivesofmanytowheretheyfeelaccomplishedinthe
endorhelpsthemkeepwhateversanitytheyhaveleftinside.InJiHaeParksTEDvideo,she
expressedthefeelingsshehadayoungagethroughhermusic.Duetothefactthatshedeveloped
depressionoverthecourseofherlife,shefeltaloneandalmostgaveuponlife.But,whenshe
wasintroducedtotheviolin,itwasaneyeopeningexperienceforher.Themusicrestoredher
soulandtouchedherheart.Parksusedhermusictoreachouttopeoplethatlosthopeorfelt
aloneinplaceslikechurches,prisons,andrestrictedfacilities.InanotherTEDvideo,agroupof
womenprisoninmateshadtheopportunitytosingwhichendeduprevealingtheirfears,hopes,
andregrets.Thesewomenweregivenlifewithoutparoleandthroughsingingtheycanmaintain
whatlittlehopetheyhaveleftwhenitcomestoseeingtheirlovedonesonemoretime(Lifters).
InlastTEDvideo,anelevenyearoldviolinisthasbroughttotheworldapersonthatcaninspire
thosetomakeadifferencethroughmusic.Startingherlessonsatfourandmakingher
professionalsolodebutatninewiththeTaiwanSymphonyOrchestra,SirinaHaunghasbecome
amusicalartistwhohasdevelopedmaturequalitiesforsomeoneherage.
Thefinalreasonofwhymusiceducationshouldbeenlargedthroughouttheworldis
becauseithelpsimproveaperson'sintelligence.AccordingtoE.GlennSchellenbergstudies
whichwasconductedattheUniversityofToronto,hediscoveredagrowthinsixyearoldIQs

Hutson5

whoweregivenpianoandvoicelessonsfrequently.Thisstudy
wassoonpublishedintheissueofPsychologicalSciencein
2004.Heconductedthisstudywithtwelvesixyearoldsand
gavethemninemonthsofpianoandvoicelessons,thendrama
lessonstoasecondgroup,andfinallynolessonstothethird
group.ThechildrensIQsweretestedbeforeenteringthefirst
grade,thenagainbeforeenteringthesecondgrade.Tohis
surprise,theoneswhoweregivenmusiclessonstestedon
averagethreeIQpointshigherthantheothers(Fig.4).The
dramagroupdidntexperiencethesameincrease,butdidhaveanincreasedsocialbehavior
whichwasnotseeninthemusicgroup.Also,anotherstudyconductedbyEllenWinner,a
psychologyprofessoratBostonCollege,endedupfindingchangesinthebrainimagesof
childrenwhohadmusicalinstructionfor15months.Thestudentshadimprovedsound
discriminationandfinemotortasks,andsawchangesinthebrainassociatedwiththeseabilities.
ThiswasallapprovedbytheDanaFoundation,whichwasaprivatephilanthropicorganization
thatsupportsbrainresearch.Itgoestoshowthatthebrainsofmusiciansworkalotharder
comparedtothosewithnomusicalintroduction.(Brown)
Whenskillscomeintoplay,everyoneisdifferentastheirlifeexperienceshowshow
intelligenttheyare.Alinkbetweenmusicandspatialintelligencehasbeenproventohelpina
person'sthinkingability.Thismeansthatunderstandingmusiccanhelppeopleseedifferent
elementsthatshouldgotogether,likesolvingamathproblem.Anyonemajoringinengineering,
architecture,oranythingrelatedtocomputerworkwillhavetousetheseskillswhensolving

Hutson6

multistepproblems.Besidestheobviousbenefitsofhavingamusiceducation,whateffectdoesit
haveonaperson'stestscores?Accordingtoastudyconductedin2007byChristopherJohnson,
amusicprofessorattheUniversityofKansas,hediscoveredthatstudentsinelementaryschools
withamazingmusicprogramsscoredaround22percenthigherinEnglishand20percenthigher
inmathscoresonstandardizedtests,comparedtoschoolswithaveragemusicprograms.Ifthe
environmentaroundapersonhasalotofpeopledoingcreative,smart,greatthings,andjoyful
things,evenpeoplewhoarentdoingthathaveatendencytogoupanddobetter.(Brown)Not
onlydoesmusiceducationimprovesaperson'sthinkingcapabilities,italsohelpswithmastering
memorization.Astudenthastobeabletomemorizesheetmusicwhenitcomestomarchingona
field.(Nuss)Sothisprocesswouldhelpinschoolbyallowingthestudenttodevelopthe
memorizationofmaterialtaughttothem.Also,basedoffofwhatPruettdiscovered,Peoplewho
havehadformalmusicaltrainingtendtobeprettygoodatrememberingverbalinformation
storedinmemory.(Brown)
Musiceducationcanalsohavetheeffectofdevelopinglanguageandreasoningamong
youngminds.Studentswhopracticemusicearlywilldevelopthepartofthebrainrelatedto
languageandreasoning.Theleftsideisbetterdevelopedwithmusic,andsongscanhelpimprint
informationonyoungminds.(Nuss)AstudyconductedatHarmonyProject,whichwasa
nonprofitprograminLosAngelesthattaughtchildrenmusicinlowincomecommunities,
discoveredthatplayingmusicalsohelpedkidsbrainsprocesslanguage.NinaKraus,a
neurobiologistwhorunstheAuditoryNeuroscienceLaboratoryatNorthwesternUniversity,is
workingtobetterunderstandhowkidsprocessmusicandspeech.Eventhoughtheyare
completelydifferent,theyhavethreecommondenominatorspitch,timing,andtimbre.Inhis

Hutson7

otherresearches,henoticedthatkidsfrompovertyhadahardertimeprocessingsoundduetothe
factthattheyhearfewerwordsbyagefivethanotherkidsdo.Beingabletoprocesstiming,
pitch,andtimbrecanhelpskidspickuplanguage.Consonantsandvowelsbecomeclearer,and
thebraincanmakesenseofthemmorequickly.(Turner)Withthehelpofmusiceducation,
studentscanhaveabetterunderstandingofthingsandlearntorelaxwhenitcomestostressful
situations.
Whilemusiceducationisconsideredtobeinspirationalandlifechangingamongmany,
someviewitasadistractiontothecommunity,agatewaytobadbehavior,orsimplyjustdon't
wantitinschoolsduetobudgetproblems.Whatevertheproblemmaybe,gettingridofitwill
justincreaseproblemsthroughouttheworld.Theworldhaschangedtowherepeoplecanhave
anemotionalconnectiontowardsmusicthathelpsthemcopewithlifeandothersdevelopasense
ofaccomplishmentwhentheylearntoworktogetherinaband.Theworldofmusichasalso
providedtheopportunitytobuilduponskillsthatcanprepareastudentfortheworkforce.
Learningtobuildtheseskillstakestimebecauseyousimplyjustcan'tlearnthewondersofmusic
inaday.Musicdrivespeopletomakesomethingofthemselvesandwiththaturgetobetter
yourselfcomesgreatnessinlife.
Inconclusion,musiceducationisthedrivingforcethatkeepsthisworldgoingandhelps
builddedicationinothers.Fromthefactthatithelpsincreaseaperson'sintelligenceto
developingemotionalmaturityinpeopleandhelpingthemcopewithrealityiswhymusicisa
partofthissocietytoday.Withoutit,theworldwouldhavenocreativityatallandlack
inspirationforotherstomaketheworldabetterplacetolivein.AsformerPresidentBill

Hutson8

Clintonsays,Musicisaboutcommunication,creativity,andcooperation,andbystudying
musicinschools,studentshavetheopportunityto
buildontheseskills,enrichtheirlives,andexperiencetheworldfromanewperspective.
(Clinton)

Hutson9

WorksCited

Turner,Cory."ThisIsYourBrain.ThisIsYourBrainOnMusic."NPR.NPR,10Sept.2014.
Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/09/10/343681493/thisisyourbrainthisisyourbrainon
music>.
Neary,Lynn."InPalestine,AChildOfViolenceBecomesAMusicEducator."NPR.NPR,12
July2015.Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.npr.org/2015/07/12/421752385/inpalestineachildofviolencebecomesamusice
ducator>.

Fisher,Ryan."DebatingAssessmentinMusicEducation."RIME.UniversityofSt.Thomas,Sept.
2008.Web.14Nov.2015.<http://www.stthomas.edu/rimeonline/vol6/fisher1.htm>.

"Quotes."Quotes.IllinoisMusicEducationAssociation,n.d.Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.ilmea.org/advocate/quotes/>.
Miendlarzewska,EwaA.,andWiebkeJ.Trost."HowMusicalTrainingAffectsCognitive
Development:Rhythm,RewardandOtherModulatingVariables."FrontiersinNeuroscience.
FrontiersMediaS.A.,20Jan.2014.Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3957486/>.
Nuss,KristenRencher."20ImportantBenefitsofMusicInOurSchools."NationalAssociation
forMusicEducationNAfME20ImportantBenefitsofMusicInOurSchoolsComments.N.p.,21
July2014.Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.nafme.org/20importantbenefitsofmusicinourschools/>.
Brown,LauraLewis."TheBenefitsOfMusicEducation."PBS.PBS,n.d.Web.14Nov.2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/musicarts/thebenefitsofmusiceducation/>.
"SirenaHuang:An11yearold'sMagicalViolin."TED.TED,Feb.2006.Web.14Nov.2015.
<https://www.ted.com/talks/sirena_huang_dazzles_on_violin>.
"TheLadyLifers:AMovingSongfromWomeninPrisonforLife."TED.TED,Nov.2014.Web.
14Nov.2015.
<https://www.ted.com/talks/the_lady_lifers_a_moving_song_from_women_in_prison_for_life>.

"JiHaePark:TheViolin,andMyDarkNightoftheSoul."TED.TED,Feb.2013.Web.14Nov.
2015.<https://www.ted.com/talks/ji_hae_park_the_violin_and_my_dark_night_of_the_soul>.
Balek,Jane."GleeCelebratesFinalEpisodewithDonation."
GiveANoteFoundation
.N.p.,20
Mar.2015.Web.16Nov.2015.<https://www.giveanote.org/tag/schoolmusic/>.

"Home|VH1SaveTheMusicFoundation."
Home|VH1SaveTheMusicFoundation
.N.p.,
2013.Web.16Nov.2015.<http://www.vh1savethemusic.org/>.