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Brandon Ferrell
Mrs. Tillery
AP Literature
15 November 2011
Music Education
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s
revelation about the universality of music applies even today in the education system of
America. Over the last several years, funding for music education and even fine arts programs in
general has been decreasing among public school systems, on the basis that more money should
be spent teaching students academically applicable subjects in order to pass standardized tests.
However, in a study by Amy Graziano, 237 second-grade children involved with both piano
keyboard training and innovative math software scored27% higher on proportional math and
fractions tests than students only using the math software. There is a direct correlation between
students’ involvement with music and their academic capabilities. For this reason, the increasing
lack of funding for music education is a problem, and the importance of music and other arts in
public schools should be made known to officials and the problem corrected.
Generally, elementary schools have a required course in music. However, the once-
standard instructional time for music of 20-30 minutes per day has been reduced in most schools
to the same amount of time on a weekly schedule. This minute time in which music teachers are
available to a class drastically reduces their effective ability to teach music material.
Notwithstanding the reductions in their ability to teach, elementary school music educators are
still expected to produce the same results with students and some objectives have in fact been
added. The primarylogic behind budget cuts in the fine arts department in elementary schools has

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been a focus on higher test scores in core academic subjects such as math and science. This logic
is flawed though, because the correlation between early childhood exposure to music and
scholastic prowess has been proven and accepted for a substantial time. Research by the Perry
Early Childhood Education Program has concluded that “music competencies achieved from
birth to age five assist students in later school experience (Colwell 1721).” Even into elementary
years, music education has been proven by people such as Amy Graziano to improve cognitive
ability in abstract fields such as math. With this in mind, the continuous budget cuts and layoffs
within the fine arts departments of public school systems is unjustifiable and illogical. If school
systems were able to hire better-educated music instructors and actually devote classroom time
to teaching music, then results would be substantial and undeniable. Aside from individual music
instruction, playing music within a group can have significant effects for students in academic
courses.
Being part of an ensemble with lofty standards teaches students cooperative learning,
responsibility, time management, character, and other valuable attributes. The magnitude of
these alternate goals does not require the forfeit of distinctive musical objectives; however, the
esteem of school officials and board members is essential for long-term goals. Music is also
important elsewhere, such as within special education programs. The universality and nonverbal
nature of music provides special needs students, specifically those learning English as a second
language, with the opportunity to participate in many musical experiences, resulting in
educational benefit as well as happiness.
A large problem educational systems face when prioritizing funding is the inability to
“measure” the effectiveness of music educators, whereas teachers in academic courses such as
math and language arts can give definite test scores to show results. Addressing the progress of a

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music program is a slightly more inexact process, yet there are bountiful measures of
musicianship both within a group and on an individual level. The Georgia Music Educators
Association (GMEA) hosts a week of festival called LGPE, or Large Group Performance
Evaluation. Band programs across the state perform their selected works in front of experienced
judges and are graded based on musicality, accuracy, and other areas. There is also a sight-
reading portion where the group is handed a piece of music they have never seen before and is
graded on their ability to accurately read and play the literature. Additionally, GMEA hosts
District- and All-State band auditions, where individual students perform a standard etude and a
set of major scales fundamental to all musicians. Students are invited to be a part of the All-State
Band comprised of the highest-scoring auditions. Results of these evaluations are perfect
markers for the advancement of ensembles and individuals. If administrators and board directors
would look to these ratings for test scores, there would be much more interest in the
advancement and musical education of students.
In addition to the academic benefits of music and music education, involvement with
music prepares students and young adults to be productive members of a working society. The
same team building skills developed with music that help in a school environment will make any
and every student involved with music more useful as an employee. Musiciansacquire
craftsmanship skills as they learn how details are painstakingly put together and what amounts to
good, instead of mediocre, work. These values, when pertaining to a musician’s own work,
require a heighteneddegree of superiority and necessitate that students stretch their inner
resources. Music performance also inspires students to conquer fear and take risks. Stage
performance increases confidence and aptitude for public speaking, a skill imperative in almost
any job that requires teamwork. Additionally, it forms musicians into goal-oriented people. The

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pressure and prospective reward of having a fantastic performance drives musicians to practice
and work hard, and dedicates them to getting a job well done for the sake of their personal
satisfaction and growth as well as the rest of an ensemble. Furthermore, being part of an
ensemble teaches the importance of punctuality as music groups often schedule and reschedule
rehearsals, making time management an extremely important skill. Music education also has
benefits on an emotional scale.
Music provides children with a means of self-expression. In an unforgiving and often
vicious world, every student needs an outlet to vent the frustrations of life. In the words of an
unknown author, “music is what feelings sound like.” Music helps people to discover who they
are, and is an outlet for the deepest and most sincere thoughts and feelings that cannot even be
entrusted to a sheet of paper in a journal. Moreover, music provides common ground between
anyone and everyone. “With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between
people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity,”
according to Ted Turner. Because of the emotional and social rewards of music, a greater stress
should be put upon making music more appealing to all students. Music education opens doors
that help children pass from school into the world around them a world of work, culture,
intellectual activity, and human involvement. Music can also be beneficial to one’s health.
Music therapy is one of the most widely used and most applicable forms of treatment. It
can be effective for everything from improving the well being of geriatric patients in nursing
homes to lowering the stress level and pain of women in labor. Social, physical, emotional, and
intellectual challenges are all treatable and can be overcome with the aid of music therapy. Music
is not only for the sick and needy, though- healthy people can use music to relax, reduce stress,
exercise, or improve their mood. Music therapy is virtually the only treatment with zero

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potentially harmful or toxic side effects. Through music therapy, patients are aided with goals
such as improvement in communication, motor skills, and behavioral issues. What makes music
therapy so effective is its multi-functionality. On a physical level, brain function changes in
response to music. Breathing patterns, heart rate, and blood pressure are all responsive to music
and auditory stimulus (Turner 2270). Muscle tension can also be relieved through music, a
benefit often employed in physical rehabilitation centers. Music naturally increases endorphin
levels, which calms the listener and reduces stress- partially explaining the ability of music to
improve the immune system. Music also affects people on a mental level, significantly
increasing mental acuity. A college study showing that students performed better on math
problems while listening to classical music coined this tendency as the “Mozart effect.”
Furthermore, music’s capability to influence emotions is widely known and extensively used by
movie directors. The nonverbal nature of music makes it a very valuable therapeutic tool,
because it can both inspire emotions and express them. An especially effective case is with the
terminally ill. Pain, anxiety, and depression are major concerns with these patients, and music
can alleviate some of the pain through release of endorphins and promotion of relaxation (Swain
1900). Music calms patients to the point where they are able to talk about fears associate with
death and dying and thus helps them to overcome them. The wide range of effectiveness for
music therapy is a perfect example of why music should be more prominent among public school
systems because although the general population of students is not terminally ill, every student
suffers from some ailment from time to time and music can substantially alleviate such
problems. A major bonus of music therapy is that it does not necessarily have to be in an office-
portable music players have made the mobility of music limitless.

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In conclusion, the benefits of music have become undeniable in today’s society. Test
scores upon test scores have shown with definitive truth that music is scholastically beneficial
and should play a larger role in education today. The lack of funding that this field faces is a
serious problem, but the possibilities within music are endless. Music is engrained in the being of
every human and will continue to provide academic support, personal growth, and work
readiness. It is the job not only of education directors, but also of society, to contribute to the
success of music programs within public school for the benefit and advancement of today’s
society.

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Works Cited
Campbell, Don. The Mozart Effect. Avon Books, 1997.
Cassileth, Barrie. The Alternative Medicine Handbook. W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1998.
Chamberlin, Stacey L. "Melodic Intonation Therapy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological
Disorders. Ed. Stacey L. Chamberlin and Brigham Narins. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2005.
517-519. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Colwell, Richard, and Carlos Xavier Rodriguez. "Music Education." Encyclopedia of Education.
Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
1718-1726. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Cox, Gordon. "Music Education." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and
Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 610-611.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Music Advocacy." Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. MSBOA, n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msboa.org/aboutmsboa/msboaspotlight/
musicadvocacy/>.
"Music Advocacy's Top Ten for Directors." Music Advocacy. Selmer Company, n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2011.
"Scientific Research Reveals Reasons to Play Music." NAMM Foundation. NAMM,
2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. <http://www.nammfoundation.org/research/
scientific-research-reveals-reasons-play-music>.
Swain, Liz. "Sound Therapy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Ed. Jacqueline L.
Longe. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 1899-1902. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

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Turner, Judith. "Music Therapy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Deirdre S.
Blanchfield and Jacqueline L. Longe. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 2269-2271.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

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Turnitin Receipt
Paper ID:215517185
Paper Title:Music Education Research Paper
Assignment Title:Senior Project Research Paper
Author:brandon ferrell
E-mail: brandonjferrell@gmail.com