The Sound of Silence:

The Importance of Music Programs in Education

Music is more than just something people listen to. It is an
expansive art form that allows one to express themselves in a
way that is not possible by any other means. Music is a powerful
tool that can draw powerful emotions out of its listeners.
Nowadays, music has been oversimplified to be nothing more than
just songs that have melodies, choruses, etc. and do nothing for
the progression of society. This assertion is supported by the
fact that when school systems are faced with budget cuts in
todays recessionary economy, one of the first extracurricular
activities to be abolished is the schools music program. In
this essay I intend to show why I feel music programs are
necessary in schools, and why I feel all students should be
required to participate in them at some point in their
educational careers.
Cutting Music Programs: A National Epidemic
In todays recessionary economy, everyone has had to tighten the
belt on their spending, and public school systems are no
exception. Many schools have resorted to cutting back on or even
completely expelling
their music programs
to accommodate for the
lack of funding. The
Ames School District
in Iowa, for example,
has been subject to
the budget cuts in the
graph to the right
1
.
Its clear that music
is being viewed as the
least essential
extracurricular
activity in not just
the Ames School
District, but
essentially everywhere
else across the country. This begs the question, why are music
programs essentially be singled out? I believe it is because
there is a large amount of ignorance as to what the benefits
involvement in a music can not only bring a student, but
subsequently bring society.
The Students Perspective
In the midst of all the turmoil of these budgetary cuts, its
important to step back and ask: What do the students think? In
a survey of almost 2000 teenaged students from several Los
Angeles county school districts, students were asked what they
think should be cut first from
schools in order to save money
2
.
The music and arts programs ranked
seventh out of twelve in what
students believe which program
should be cut first. This shows
that generally, students dont
want their music programs to cease
existence. Clearly the problem
lies within the school boards, and
not the students. So why do school
boards view the music programs as
essentially being the least
essential extracurricular programs
the school offers? This is mainly
due to the fact that schools think
they essentially get nothing in
return for the money they invest in music programs. This is a
common response from school board members when they decide to
cut music programs. They fail to realize that if they put as
much effort and time into promoting and developing their music
programs as they did for things such as their athletics programs,
students would be just as, if not more involved in said program.
Music programs also bring less income and less notoriety to the
school as something like an athletics program does, and at the
end of the day, the school is focused on meeting a budget,
therefore changes are made.


The public at large shares a similar opinion to these students.
In a 2009 NAMM survey of opinions on music programs, these were
the some of the results
3
:





What Has Been Done?
From the late 2000s to today,
budget cuts have been an issue for
school districts, and primarily for
music programs. Has anything been
done to remedy the situation? In fact,
VH1, one of the largest television
companies in North America has
launched a non-profit organization to
try and fund after school music
programs for school districts. Save
the Music has been easily the biggest
cumulative effort to try and save
after school music programs
3
. Its sad
to say, however, that Save the Music
is the only one of its kind. No other
major corporation or company has done
anything to the scale that VH1 has done.
VH1 Save the Music has been incredibly successful, with an
entire page on their website dedicated to their success stories.
Some of the stories include ones such as LaShaunda Cavin, who
was able to continue playing trumpet thanks to the program, and
subsequently received a full scholarship to Central Ohio State
University. Another example is the story of Alvina from Mary
Lyon Elementary School in Chicago, IL. Her music instructor said
when she first joined the band she was very quiet, and never
spoke. She went on to say that she has developed strong
leadership skills and has gone on to be the clarinet section
leader. These two stories show that the benefits of music can
be multi-dimensional. Music can set up students for success not
only for those who choose to pursue a career in the field, but
also help students develop different forms of cognitive and
social skills.


These are just a few statistics that show the success that Save
the Music has had.


What Benefits do Music Programs Give Students?
It is a common misconception that performing, writing, and
listening to music is nothing more than just a hobby. However,
that could not be further from the truth. These are just a few
of the ways in which music benefits the brain, and also
nourishes the process of learning
4
:
Improves sensory integrations
Builds and strengthens connections between brain cells
Engages the left and right brain
Improves memory and the ability to differentiate sound and
speech
Improves critical thinking, motor capacities, and emotional
maturity
These are just a few of the many benefits that being
involved in music programs present students. The benefits are not
just temporary or only beneficial to younger students. Students
who are involved in music programs experience a 35% greater
graduation rate when compared to students who are not involved
in music. Involvement in music also improves leadership and
ability to work in groups, and on average, employees who were
involved in music programs throughout their educational careers
have approximately a 10% higher annual salary in comparison to
employees who were not involved in music
5
.

These graphics show the direct translation that some of the
different aspects of music can have on a student/employee.
What Should Be Done?
When it comes to things that I am most passionate about in
life, music is at the
top of the list. I
was fortunate to
have gone to schools
throughout my entire
educational career
where I was able to freely participate in music programs. This
involvement in music shaped me as a student and a person, and
was a key aspect in the development of my thought process when
approaching a problem. My background in music heightened my
creative and analytical skills, and I was able to use these
skills in areas other than music, such as math and the sciences.
It is important for every student to have the chance to
participate in music programs. My proposal to solve this issue
of lack of funding has several aspects to it. First and foremost,
the inclusion of a music program in elementary and high schools
is necessary. The advantages of involvement in music, in even
the most remedial courses, are widespread. Music classes prepare
and develop students for so many different aspects of life.
Leadership, communication and analytical skills, ability to work
in teams, and self-confidence are a few of the important skills
that students intrinsically learn through involvement in music
programs. In todays society, it is becoming more and more
important to have a work force that is not only motivated, but
that also possesses creativity in order to create new and better
technologies. Reading, writing, and performing Music develops
creativity and these analytical skills.
The main issue with implementing music in lower levels of
education is that it is easier said than done. Lack of funding
is the cause of the abolition of music programs, so my solution
to this is simple: establish a government agency, similar to No
Child Left Behind, which not only provides funding for school
music programs, but also encourages students to get involved in
music. Government programs similar to this have been
tremendously successful in the past, which further supports the
probability of success of such a program. VH1 Save the Music has
more or less laid the foundation, and the government should
learn from their initiative, and establish a program.
I also propose that laws or standards be put in place that
require school boards to distribute their funding in a less
biased manner. As stated before, the majority of a schools
extracurricular budget across the United States goes towards
athletic programs
6
. That funding should be allocated almost
evenly to all extracurricular programs.
Conclusion
Music is something that is far too undervalued in our
society nowadays. On societys current path, music programs in
every school across the nation will eventually be abolished. The
benefits that students who are involved in music programs
receive are multi-dimensional, and through writing this paper, I
hope I have exposed some of the unknown benefits music can bring
to a student. Without music programs, the next Bach or Beethoven
may never get the chance to pick up an instrument for the first
time, and we will eventually live in a society where the only
music we hear, is the sound of silence.



Sources
1
Brown, Allen. "Why Keep Music? - Weebly Site." Why Keep Music? - Weebly Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Apr. 2014
2
Hawkins, Tyleah. "Will Less Art and Music in the Classroom Really Help Students Soar Academically?"
Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
3
"Our Impact | VH1 Save The Music Foundation." Our Impact | VH1 Save The Music Foundation. N.p.,
2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
4
Leitch, Jacob. "Twelve Benefits of Music Education." Twelve Benefits of Music Education. Music
Eductaion Online, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
5
Wiley-Blackwell. "Adolescents Involved With Music Do Better In School." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11
Feb. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
6
Asiedu, Duncan. "Music Programs Hardest Hit by Budget Cuts | EdLab." Music Programs
Hardest Hit by Budget Cuts | EdLab. Columbia University, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

7
Brown, Laura. "Eat Smart for a Great Start Newsletter." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
8
Loop, Erica. "Solutions to Cuts in Art & Music Programs in Public Schools." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Apr. 2014.