Music education--should it be required?

[karlhenning]

:DAs for transposing parts in scores, I've learned to deal with it.  It's somewhat harder when I actually have to PLAY transposing instruments like the English horn or Bb clarinet.

Let alone an English horn piece originally written for Bb clarinet 

[schweitzeralan]

As I am a composer, my answer is probably obvious. I believe an arts component should be mandatory in secondary education, and music should be one piece of that.  Classical music.  You don't need to teach The Beatles in school: they'll hear it in the pizzerias, drive-in banks and shopping malls of this great land 

All my music education before the age of 20 was in or through the public schools.  I leave it to others to judge whether that was significant 

Just a small but relevant item.  A niece of mine was learning in her early years to play the violin.  She was becoming quite accomplished by the time she entered high school.  Her classmates and several "friends," God forbid, told her that the violin was "not cool." Since then she quit and would go to events and parties submerged in hideous Pop Rock. Fortunately, there are those sincere and committed musicians who do care.  Blessed be they.

[jochanaan]

  I have absolute pitch too. It helped me to transpose as a horn player.
This is something every young aspiring horn or trumpet player has to master, and it's difficult for many.
  However, when I hear a performance of say, Mozart's Jupiter symphony on period instruments and it's a half tone lower, it's truly weird hearing something which normally sounds like C major as B major!  But I've found that my ear can adjust.
Perhaps Mozart, who also had absolute pitch, if he could come back today and hear modern instruments, would be upset by hearing what sounded to him like C major sounding a half tone higher also.
 

I've heard that Saint Saëns, whose perfect pitch was discovered at the age of two (!), complained during his later years early in the 20th century that everything sounded a half-step sharp...

[secondwind]

I just returned from an evening at a friend's house, and I have come to the conclusion that whether or not music education should be required, it should certainly be made available (and more available) to those who want it.

Tonight, I met a family with three daughters, all with evident interest in playing music and evident aptitude to learn.  The two older girls (14 and 12) had piano lessons from the age of 8 until last year, when orthodontist bills on top of the usual expenses of the family pushed music lessons out of reach for their parents.  Two of the girls are playing in their school's instrumental music program (the elder on saxophone, the younger on clarinet) and the baby, now 9, plans to take up trumpet in the fall.  We had a lovely time tonight after dinner, playing music with and for each other, and I was impressed by how much the children enjoyed the music and how eagerly they dove into new musical experiences.  I took them some duets that they can play together and some solo music for each instrument that comes with an accompaniment CD, because I had learned that they had very little music to look at over the summer because the band teacher collects it all in the spring and reissues it in the fall (to cut down on losses, I'm sure).

It hurts me that the older two girls will not be able to continue their piano study, and that the younger one will not get a chance to begin.  It also bothers me that they don't have individual instruction on their other instruments--it would benefit them greatly.  They live too far away for me to offer direct help, even on the one instrument I play personally. I am wondering whether I should "scholarship" the girls' music lessons.  After the first question--could I afford it?--comes the more difficult question--would the family accept it? I provided an older (but good quality) clarinet to the one child when she started band class, and I obtained a student alto sax for the other when she was no longer able to use a school instrument, so there is some precedent of me being acceptable as a "music godmother" or something. 

Sorry to go on so long--I just wanted to rant. 

[Szykneij]

Just a small but relevant item.  A niece of mine was learning in her early years to play the violin.  She was becoming quite accomplished by the time she entered high school.  Her classmates and several "friends," God forbid, told her that the violin was "not cool." Since then she quit and would go to events ane parties submerged in hideous Pop Rock. Unfortunately typical; however, there are those sincere and committed musicians who do care.  Blessed be they.

While still a concern, I've found this "uncoolness" issue to be less of a problem than in the past. Hopefully, the trend will continue.

Sorry to go on so long--I just wanted to rant. 

No need to apologize. Thanks for your observations and concerns.

[jochanaan]

Secondwind, if music education were more widely available, there would be a pool of talent to draw on for lessons.  But quite a lot can be done without formal studies.  One thing you might do is buy some good recordings of their instruments for them; that will give them some idea of their potentials.

[drogulus]

    My opinion is entirely conventional. You go to school to learn the best of culture. Literature and the other fine arts should be taught, and popular culture should be left to individuals to explore on their own time, if that's what they want to do. Part of what distinguishes the fine arts from the popular ones is that you need to study them and not just bath in them. Sure, it's a matter of degree and not of kind, but here I think the distinction holds more than not, that the payoff of high culture is on the whole not immediate as it usually is with the popular varieties, which is why they are popular, of course.  

[secondwind]

Secondwind, if music education were more widely available, there would be a pool of talent to draw on for lessons.  But quite a lot can be done without formal studies.  One thing you might do is buy some good recordings of their instruments for them; that will give them some idea of their potentials.

Thanks, jochanaan.  Yes, in my next music CARE package, I'll include CDs and. . . reeds! And I agree with your basic point, drogulus, that classical music is what needs to be taught.  I'd bend a bit in teaching instrumental and vocal music, though, to allow performance of a mix of musical styles.   

[drogulus]

Thanks, jochanaan.  Yes, in my next music CARE package, I'll include CDs and. . . reeds! And I agree with your basic point, drogulus, that classical music is what needs to be taught.  I'd bend a bit in teaching instrumental and vocal music, though, to allow performance of a mix of musical styles.   

     Though classical would be my first choice, I'd like to see any music played on classic instruments taught in the schools, whether its Broadway, classic jazz, or any other style requiring formal learning. The point is to teach something difficult and worthy that is not likely to be picked up out of the air. It isn't that pop music isn't good, it's that you don't need to work for it, and don't learn enough acquiring a taste for it.

[Dana]

RAISIN BRAHMS!!!!

Just in case anyone was wondering

[Brahmsian]

For an adult wanting to learn how to play an instrument, should he/she:

Learn all the notes, theory, how to read music first, before even picking up the instrument and starting lessons with an instructor?

Would that not be highly valuable, so then you are not overwhelmed with the learning of the 'mechanics' of your instrument and how you physically must play it properly, on top of then be inundated with learning how to read music to play the notes?

[DavidRoss]

For an adult wanting to learn how to play an instrument, should he/she:

Learn all the notes, theory, how to read music first, before even picking up the instrument and starting lessons with an instructor?

Would that not be highly valuable, so then you are not overwhelmed with the learning of the 'mechanics' of your instrument and how you physically must play it properly, on top of then be inundated with learning how to read music to play the notes?

Except that the easiest way to learn to read music is by playing an instrument, esp. piano.

[secondwind]

For an adult wanting to learn how to play an instrument, should he/she:

Learn all the notes, theory, how to read music first, before even picking up the instrument and starting lessons with an instructor?

Would that not be highly valuable, so then you are not overwhelmed with the learning of the 'mechanics' of your instrument and how you physically must play it properly, on top of then be inundated with learning how to read music to play the notes?

I cannot imagine learning to read music (notes) without at the same time learning to play the music on an instrument.  Learning the names of the notes, while eventually useful, is really not the point.  A note represents a particular pitch held for a particular duration, and that needs to be produced either by the voice or on an instrument.  IMHO, an adult wishing to learn to play music should choose an instrument based on interest and personal preference and then find a highly qualified teacher, preferably someone with experience teaching adults.  Learning the mechanics of making music on the instrument goes hand-in-hand with learning the notation that represents that music, and when done together, they are mutually reinforcing. 

[schweitzeralan]

While still a concern, I've found this "uncoolness" issue to be less of a problem than in the past. Hopefully, the trend will continue.


No need to apologize. Thanks for your observations and concerns.
[/quote

Let's hope.

[jochanaan]

Brahmsian, learning to read music without playing an instrument is like learning to read without learning to speak.

[Szykneij]

This is a subject very important to me. I've been following the thread, but haven't responded before now because I wanted to wait until I had the time and mind-set to organize my views.

I am a public school instrumental music teacher, teaching strings/orchestra grades 4-12. I occasionally teach a general music class or two to help out with scheduling issues. I have a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Creative Arts in Learning. Music education should be mandatory in the schools.

Many posters have argued persuasively in favor of music education. DavidRoss in particular has posted links to good resources and documentation. I agree with all of the benefits that have been mentioned previously, but the one that convinces me most that music should be mandatory is the ability of music to develop problem-solving and analytical skills.

The challenge of learning to play an instrument -- of coordinating both hands independently and sometimes an air flow while deciphering a complicated system of notation to interpret and recreate the ideas of another individual while adding personal expressiveness builds the brain. The complexity of this pursuit creates neural fireworks that hook up both hemispheres. Multiple synapses are created as learning progresses which not only make the student musically smarter, but smarter overall as these neural connections, once created, are not limited to the subject that produced them. Brains of musicians have been scientifically measured to show that making music develops and enlarges certain key areas.

I always relate to my beginning students how Albert Einstein, who was a not-too-shabby amateur violinist, felt playing his instrument helped him in his problem-solving ability and how Thomas Jefferson fiddled when he had writers block creating the Declaration of Independence.

I don't have access at the moment to my college texts, but there are a huge number of books available on how the brain develops and the effect of the arts in that development. I won't bore everyone with it here, but if anyone wants me to forward them a copy of my Masters project on how violin-playing makes kids smarter, just let me know.

Some will probably disagree with my points of view, but that's fine. I firmly believe in the importance of music in the lives of children and will continue to teach that way. The success I've had in helping kids enjoy music and, in turn, having music help them develop educationally and socially convinces me to do so.

My high school orchestra has over 100 students from a school population of about 1,200. One in 12 students from a diverse middle-class community is a significant number. When you add in the students involved in Band and Chorus, there are over 200 students who voluntary participate in music performance courses that involve a significant after-school commitment. Music is something kids want.

Where music teachers often drop the ball and turn kids off to music (classical music in particular) is by engaging in the elitism that repels many members of the general population. My usual high school concert program might include two or three classical pieces from various time periods along with a movie soundtrack, orchestral arrangement of a pop piece, novelty piece and perhaps a patriotic arrangement in the spring. The students become exposed to all types of music and enjoy mastering the classical pieces as much as the lighter arrangements.

I occasionally give listening assignments and provide CDs for the students to keep. There now are many ipods around the school that have Bach and Faure alongside Shakira and Akon. The neat thing is, to the students that doesn't seem strange at all.

The past school year I taught some 5th grade general music classes (10-11 year olds). This is one of the more difficult age groups for general music, but by the end of the year one of the teachers was amazed that his kids were very upset that a scheduling changed forced them to go to gym instead of my class.  Typically, by the end of a class, the kids would hear some Beatles, Mozart, Brubeck, Gnarls Barkley, Beethoven, Coldplay, Sinatra, Grieg, Glinka, and Green Day. They would listen just as carefully to the classical composers, and usually had even more questions about that music. This listening was in addition to the traditional singing and instrument playing that occurs in a well-rounded general music class.

Lately, there has been an increased focus on the inter-disciplinary approach to education, and what better subject is there to achieve this end than music? Social Studies - Absorb the history and culture of a people through music. Mathematics: Music theory is extremely mathematical Science: The acoustics of sound is fascinating Languages: Pick an opera, any opera

A former student of mine forwarded me the link below, so I decided to shamelessly quote myself to bump up this thread from several years ago. Over those years, significant research has been done that supports with evidence the fact that making music makes you smarter.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng


http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins