| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

BensProposalFinal

Page history last edited by PBworks 18 years, 4 months ago

Music Education for Schools

 

The topic that I have found a lot of interest in and have decided to write my English final paper on is music. Specifically I would like to write about music education; how music is an important part of a child’s learning and that people should be introduced to music at a young age. Music has an important role in young children and by having students start in these music programs it helps to improve their learning and also improve their test scores. In the final paper I will propose that Allentown School district improve their musical programs. By this I do not mean that the schools should have an excellent sounding band, but rather I want a music program that is all encompassing. I want each school to have a band, chorus and orchestra. Along with these three music programs, I also propose that schools would have students take a music appreciation class. This class would include music history and the fundamentals of music. The schools also need to have all of their students take at least one of the musical program classes. The program will have Allentown schools require the students in 4th grade to begin this program and continue through with it until they reach high school. This initiative will last for 10 years, and after those years the students will be observed to see whether any improvement has occurred in the students learning. (Nice touch; though maybe a smaller time span is an easier sell.(

 

I have chosen Allentown’s school district as a pilot school because it currently has one of the lowest graduating rates in the Lehigh Valley. They also have some of the lowest test scores in the Lehigh Valley, making this school district perfect to make as a pilot school for my plan. The final paper will start off with a proposal presenting the material above and explaining in detail how the program will work. I will then evaluate the benefits that music has in helping people’s education in an evaluative argument. Inside the evaluative argument, I will also present the problems with this proposal and show why they do not hurt the proposal. Along with an evaluative argument, I will create a causal argument showing why music helps improve learning in young children and also how being part of a music program helps to improve standardized test scores. Throughout the paper I will also define criteria, which will determine whether music education is good or bad.

 

One of the arguments for the proposal is that being part of an orchestra/band/chorus helps children develop many skills and helps to improve learning. Children learn group skills and learn how to work as a team by sounding like one. By being in a musical group, children also learn self-discipline, and studies have shown that playing an instrument or being introduced to music at a young age helps kids to do better in school. Lastly, being in a music group helps children to have a sense of confidence in themselves because they are able to learn to play something, or sing something. This creates a better rounded person and a more knowledgeable one.

 

The biggest reason why people will feel that this proposal is not feasible is the cost involved in completing it. Schools would have to create new music programs if they do not already have them in place, which is very costly. Schools will also have to buy up musical instruments and supply them to the students to use and play. Along with creating these new programs, new teachers would have to be hired and paid, taking even more money. While the cost seems to be a lot higher than what the initiative is worth, this is not true. In allowing this program to occur, schools will produce better educated children along with people who are able to better compete in the marketplace. Another counter-argument to the proposal is the amount of time that would have to pass for this proposal to be tested for its validity. Because the proposal asks that schools stick children in music programs at a young age, they have to go through a couple of years of the program before they take standardized tests, to see whether learning has improved. While it may take a couple of years to see whether the pilot school works, it is worth the time. The College Board has shown that “students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation (Music Education)”. (Put the parenthetical reference outside the quotation marks.) By having these music education programs, the school district will be able to produce well rounded and better educated students.


Bibliography

 

Brooks, B. Marian, and Harry A. Brown. Music Education in The Elementary School. New York: American Book Company, 1946.

 

Laske, Otto E. Music, Memory, and Thought: Explorations in Cognitive Musicology. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International, 1977.

 

"Benefits of Music." Amro Music. 03 Nov. 2005 <http://www.amromusic.com/Benefits_of_Music/benefits_of_music.htm>.

 

Ward, Mark. "Professor chimes in on benefits of teaching kids to make music." OnWEAC. 14 July 1997. 03 Nov. 2005 <http://www.weac.org/kids/april97/music.htm>.

 

"Music Education Facts and Figures." The National Association for Music Education. 03 Nov. 2005 <http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html>.

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.