Maybe you missed it…
Harris Interactive released the results of their Music Education Poll mid-November of last year. Here’s a summary:
- Music education is associated with those that go on to higher education.
- Music education is also associated with higher incomes.
- Music education has some influence on people’s personal level of fulfillment.
- Music education is important in giving people the ability to strive for individual excellence.
- Music education is important for providing a disciplined approach to solving problems.
- Music education is very important in teaching how to work toward common goals.
- Music education is very important in creative problem solving and helping people to be flexible in work situations.
- Music education equips people to be team players in their working environment.
- Music education provides a sense of organization to people.
There is much more in this report. To view the whole report click here.
Although, I’m not one to say music does this and music does that as related to other disciplines as a means of advocacy; I believe that music education is a “stand alone” necessity… that being said, I think that as music educators we need to become more aware that our influence goes far beyond those that decide to become performing musicians, music educators, or those involved in music related fields -music education impacts even those destined not to be creators of music but enjoyers of music. Music is important for everyone, regardless of their future career choice. All students need to have opportunities in music education and we need to ADVOCATE that from the hill tops and mountains! If music does all this and more (as stated in this Harris Poll and COUNTLESS other research studies), then why isn’t what we do in music education being mentioned in EVERY conversation that teachers, administrators, parents, communities, state boards, and the dept. of music education meeting? -talking about not how to just “save music education from extinction” but rather how can we incorporate it into all aspects of learning?
To get some great ideas about integrating music into other disciplines check out this site that has lessons and projects for integrating math, science, and english with music: http://www.connectwithmusic.org/
Food for thought,
