Philosophy
Why should we teach music to our children? It is a fair question to ask in the age in we live in where education has taken a back burner to other hot-button political issues. Politics has nothing to do, however, with the impact of music in our daily lives. We completely immerse ourselves in music on a daily basis, whether it is singing in the shower or listening to an iPod or the radio. Through advances of modern technology, we are living in the midst of a multimedia renaissance where we have access to an infinite number of musical styles and works with just the click of the mouse. The trouble is many folks have closed off their minds to exploring the rich musical traditions of the past and present and this trickles down to the younger generations. Music education is critical for the youth of today and tomorrow to ensure that we not only have musicians and music educators, but more importantly informed and educated music appreciators and consumers.
Music will always exist in one form or another barring some cataclysmic event. As educators, we cannot deny students a valuable education in something that plays a part in their everyday lives. Similarly, music is a global art form accessible to every culture. It transcends the barriers of spoken language to unify one and all in a common bond of music. While music unites the world, music education helps mold today's youth into the model citizens of tomorrow by teaching valuable life skills. These valuable life skills include time management, critical analysis, problem-solving skills, perseverance, discipline, and dedication. While these skills are very valuable in achieving academic and personal success in all levels of education, they are now also considered necessary for survival in today's workplace. With all the positives music education adds to the education setting, it seems obvious that offering opportunities for students to be involved in music is crucial to further development of great members of society.
Aside from the demonstrated long-term benefits, music education also plays a critical role in the immediate development of children. Since music is part of the human experience, every child naturally has the potential to learn and create music. Music allows us to express our natural feelings and emotions, and it is what makes us unique individuals. Just like any other potential, all children have a certain capacity of musical potential, and this ability should be developed to its fullest. Dr. Suzuki further expands upon this by emphasizing that the development of character is the primary goal of music education, followed by the development of musical ability. In short, the goal of music education is not to make better musicians, but rather develop better human beings. These ideas form the foundation of successful music education programs that have a tremendous impact on the development of students as musicians and members of the community.
These are only some of the valued justifications being employed to promote music education in today's schools. However, statistics aren't the sole solution for ensuring music education in our schools. Statistics are only applicable for those students that are exposed to music at a young age and continue with musical experiences through their education. What about all those students don't go beyond general music, better yet those who don't have any opportunities to study music?
Music education has been unfortunately associated as being elitist in its approach when the reality is it is all-encompassing. Music educators and parents need to be focusing on making the most of their students' musical experiences. We can't control how long students stay involved in music beyond what is mandated by their school requirements. However, we can control what experiences they do have while they are with us. As music educators, our responsibility is to ensure they have a firm foundation in music as well as expose them to as much music as possible while prepare them for real world applications of music, which for many will through music appreciation and consumerism.
According to Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, all children have aptitude in music. We must ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop their musical potential. The only way to increase music aptitude is through guaranteeing music instruction before aptitude levels off at age nine and continuing it as long as possible. As such, music is an indispensable subject in school and must be taught from an early age.
Music is an important cultural element of every successful society that we take for granted. Without music, society can become a cultural wasteland. It would be a crime to deny today's and tomorrow's youth the opportunity to explore the beauty and depth of music when we have the ability and resources to ensure its place in school curricula.