Tuesday, June 23, 2009

On Music and Education

Half a dozen years ago, studies on music and its impact on education began to be seen again. One showed that regular music for preschoolers helped them in cognitive function, especially in math and spacial reasoning. Another showed that music in elementary grades helps children function in social situations. Another showed that those in high school choirs and band got better grades.

Now, as school boards deal with shrinking budgets, the first things they cut are music and the arts. When will they get the facts that musicians have known for years? When will they do the research?

The state of education in the United States is poor because it is too specialized. Classical education demands that all students take art, music, history, grammar, literature and foreign languages, not just science and math. We have persons who have received terminal degrees in engineering, math and science that have never taken an English literature course. These people can not be called "educated;" they must be called something else.

Classically educated persons are more tolerant of differing ideas. They are more sensitive to controversial topics. They are less prejudiced.

So, let us think twice before cutting the most important subjects in our schools.

Be sure to watch this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SCgVTMx0qg