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It’s Cool to be in the Band…The Importance of the Arts

By Kyra De Blaker

In our youth it was easy to see the role of music education. Music education held its own spot in a classroom a bit further down the school corridor-just out of ear’s reach. In this room a collection of students would gather to practice for a brief time on an instrument, often selected by their instructor, before heading back to class and the day’s instruction.

However, the trend is changing. Now more than ever schools are increasing their students’ education in the arts as studies continue to reveal the value of humanities education in schools. But it isn’t as simple as hiring a well-renowned artist and classical composer to teach our children. Parents and schools continue to fight the budget, a one-word evil that prohibits much of the activities encouraged by the reports put forth on behalf of music and art education. The following facts and figures support what most educators already know: an education in the arts benefits our children. So make room in the budget.

Increased Productivity and Mental Well-Being

Music Education benefits children of all ages in a variety of areas. The American Music Conference (AMC), building credibility for music and music education, highlights many areas in which students exposed to music education excel. According to the AMC, “Over the last decade, a series of new scientific studies have demonstrated a link between active music making-not just passive listening, but actually taking part-and increased brainpower. Young children who make music show improved spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the foundation of later success in math and science.” Further, “students actually get better grades than students who don’t take music.”

Music benefits students socially as well. The AMC reports that, “older students who make music show reduced levels of anxiety, depression and loneliness. Among younger people, those who make music together are less likely to use drugs or get in other kinds of trouble.”

Facts about the value of music education:

Scientific studies show that active music making (NOT passive music listening) correlates with:

Increased spatial-temporal reasoning and better math scores Better reading ability Lower incidence of drug use and antisocial behavior Increased wellness (courtesy of AMC) Brush Strokes, Ballet Shoes, Bass Players and Better Learners: The arts are essential for success.

Studies in humanities education have revealed numerous findings touting the benefits of studies of the arts in schools. Below are a few key items reported by the National Art Education Association (NAEA).

Not only are the arts fun for kids, they help keep kids in school and working to learn. Not only do the arts require self-discipline, creativity, and confidence to succeed, but these and other important habits stay with students and help them succeed in other areas of school, life and work. Not only do the arts represent many ways of experiencing and understanding the world, but they actually help develop the many types of intelligences that all people possess and use all the time. Not only do the arts remove boundaries and allow students to explore aspects of life around them in new ways, but connecting the arts with other disciplines like math, reading and writing, or science often helps students learn about, comprehend, and value those disciplines as well. In short, the arts are as much a part of a child’s development and success as they are a part of a successful and enlightened society.

From kindergarten tikes to high school seniors, music and art education is reaching new heights in terms of importance and value. Schools are recognizing the studies that suggest children balanced with traditional and humanities (including music, art and dance to name a few) education are at an advantage educationally and emotionally now and in the future. Educating our children in the arts is helping to build better students and great people.

Kyra De Blaker is the contributing editor for Curious Parents.