Why music?

Montessori Life, Summer 2005 by McTamaney, Catherine

Music education is also linked to improvement in student self-esteem and study skills. A1990 National Arts Education Research Center report from New York University describes increased self-esteem and thinking skills for students who participated in arts education in elementary and middle schools. A1993 report published in The Journal of Research in Music Education suggests that minority students more often detail a music teacher as their role model than teachers of other subjects. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (1992) suggests that students enrolled in music education classes are less disruptive, skip school less often, and receive fewer school-related suspensions than students who do not receive music education. Finally, a 1992 study from Auburn University suggests that the overall self-concept of at-risk children is significantly increased by participating in an arts program that includes music.

MUSIC CONNECTS SOCIETIES

Mario Montessori (1956) spoke of "language for communication between minds and music for communication between souls." Without exception, every human culture includes music of some kind. Music is interwoven into our societies, from singing in the shower to the snared rituals of anthems and songs of praise. In these communal activities, we use music to strengthen social ties and reinforce our cultural identity. We shared the mournful singing of "God Bless America" at the reopening of the New York Stock Exchange in 2001, just as our children teach each other, generation after generation, the words to "Miss Mary Mack." While we may not remember when we learned the words to these songs, they remain a part of our shared culture and consciousness.

But music benefits society in much more concrete ways as well. A1998 report by the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse linked music education and participation in band or orchestra activities to a lowered use of drugs and alcohol throughout a student's lifetime. A1996 report from the American Arts Alliance reports that arts organizations, including music organizations, contribute $37 billion in economic activity every year and return $3.4 billion in federal income taxes. And in The case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of the Public Schools, Grant Venerable (1989) reports that "the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians."

While music enhances children's intellectual and social development, it simultaneously supports the development of the aesthetic sense and an appreciation for the complex interreliance of our world. Quite simply, children enjoy music. Even more, music provides us with a common ground, the opportunity to share together in experiences that speak to our spirits and our commonalities.

Daniel Carp, CEO of Eastman Kodak, writes,

Music is one way for young people to connect with themselves, but it is also a bridge for connecting with others. Through music, we can introduce children to the richness and diversity of the human family and to the myriad rhythms of life.