Unfortunately, music and art is one of the first electives to be cut when meeting a school districts new budgetary requirements. These electives are often seen as nonessential when considering a student’s educational advancement. However, research is beginning to show that this is not necessarily the case. Even though the Mozart effect, which claimed to increase a student’s IQ has largely been disputed, there are many valid reasons to show how music benefits education.
Applied Academics
One of the amazing benefits of music is that it can be a great path to fun applications for other academic subjects that many student may find uninteresting like math, physics, geography, or history. Music has the ability to get the student more involved.
Cognitive Benefits
Although the Mozart effect may not be considered as being reliable, there are the cognitive developmental advantages to learning music. Music increases creativity. Music also activates various parts of the brain. It allows a student to pay more attention to detail, structure, and organization which are all critical in many facets of life.
Rhythm
Rhythm is an essential feature of any music. The educational benefits can often be seen in a short amount of time. Many children relate physically to music through humming, dancing, singing, and clapping. The rhythm of a song can improve a child’s physical coordination. The child’s physical coordination can also improve when learning how to play an instrument.
Harmony
Harmony is a another valuable component of how music benefits education. By studying harmony, the student will be able to differentiate various tones and intervals. This will also lead to the appreciation of a wide variety of musical styles. Virtues such as cooperation and sharing can be present through the musical aspect of harmony.
Melody
Melody is the platform on which rhythm and harmony is built. Because music is often used as a tool to enhance memory, studying melodies can be beneficial. By studying large amounts of complex melodies, it ultimately improves the function of the memory.
The basic study of music can improve so many aspects of a child’s education. The various genres of music can all contribute to real-life expressions and actions. For example, blues presents emotional expression. The benefits to studying music far exceeds the act of playing and listening. The educational benefits of music can be much greater than ever imagined.
