The Benefits of
Music Education
Children start
learning music when they are born. They listen, they watch, they experiment with
sounds and movement, and eventually, they sing and move rhythmically. The more
music they hear and the richer the musical sounds they experience, the sooner
and better they develop their own musical skills. This process mirrors the way in which children learn
language and many benefits.
Most of people love to listen to any kind of
music. I believe that people who love music cannot stop listening to it and
living it all the time.
Do you remember Do re mi song from the Sound
of the Music? When I was young, I learned the song in elementary school. I had
sung the song a lot of times anywhere. So, I remember until now.
Mary Luehrisen who is executive
director of the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation claimed that
“A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening
and moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they
progress into more formal learning." Also, Guilmartin stated that “Music
learning supports all learning. Not that Mozart makes you smarter, but it’s a
very integrating, stimulating pastime or activity”.
I also agree
with them. Music education is very important for learning. Children can develop
language skill, increasing IQ,
spatial-temporal skills, improving test score, and being
musical from music.
At first, Luehrisen said that
“When you look at children age two to nine, one of the
breakthroughs in that area is music’s benefit for language development, which
is so important at that stage”. According to the Children’s Music Workshop, the
effect of music education on language development can be seen in the brain.
“Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically
develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with
processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific
ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint
information on young minds,” the group claims.
Second, music
education develops increasing IQ. A study by E.
Glenn Schellenberg at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, as published in
a 2004 issue of Psychological Science, found a small increase in the IQs of
six-year-olds who were given weekly voice and piano lessons. Also, children who
were given music lessons over the school year tested on average three IQ
points higher than the other groups.
Third, Pruett who helped found the Performing Arts Medicine Association
explained that “We have some pretty good data that music
instruction does reliably improve spatial-temporal skills in children over
time,” These skills come into play in solving multistep problems one would
encounter in architecture, engineering, math, art, gaming, and especially
working with computers.
Finally, a study
published in 2007 by Christopher Johnson who is a professor of music education
and music therapy at the University of Kansas,
revealed that students in elementary schools with superior music education programs
scored around 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math scores
on standardized tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs,
regardless of socioeconomic disparities among the schools or school districts.
Johnson compares the concentration that music training requires to the focus
needed to perform well on a standardized test. The result from test score,
Johnson’s study highlights the positive effects that a quality music education
can have on a young child’s success.
Works Cited
"Eat Smart for a Great Start Newsletter." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2013.
"Music Together - The Importance of Music in Early Childhood." Music Together - The Importance of Music in Early Childhood. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2013.
it's well worth seeing, and strikes a nice balance between being entertaining and informative. Chris Rock is basically learning as he goes, and he sort of functions as a surrogate for us viewers. It's definitely an Obama-era movie: whenever it starts to get critical, it backs off a little and is careful not to offend any group. His style of questioning can be a bit cheeky but he's always engaging. The film keeps focus on the creative/fashion side, rightly so, I think. If you're up for something different, interesting but certainly not heavy, I recommend it.
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