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Rachel Taylor

(Siddhi Voras Music Blog)


Throughout history, music and art have been vital parts of each and every
culture but more recently these institutions have been appreciated less. Many
schools are being forced to shut down their liberal arts programs either for a money
deficit or for a growing emphasis on core classes. Although some people
discourage it as a required course fine arts, specifically music, should be included in
school curriculums because it improves students performance in other subjects and
is a major part of our culture.
Including music into the curriculum would help students practice skills used in
other areas. For example, keeping time would help a students math skill as how
fast a note is played is recorded as a fraction note; the longest note is a whole note
and the shortest note is a sixteenth note. According to Lydia Kontos, art and music
programs are being cut and a laser-sharp focus is being placed on reading and
math because of budget pressures and stringent standardized testing guidelines.
Regardless, the nations report card states that math skills have dropped for the
first time in a decade (Kontos). Another study by the University of Florida, depicted
in an infographic, reports that music appreciation students score 42 points higher
on the math SAT section. This could be extremely helpful as math has a notoriety
of being difficult.
Music helps not only in academic subjects but also soft skills as well.
Employers want people with technical abilities and abilities to think creatively and
work in groups (Cohen). These are typically gained in liberal arts training. The
University of Floridas other infographic, Why Half Brain Teaching Isnt Enough,
depicts Albert Einstein, Marissa Mayer, and Steve Jobs as Personalities with strong
creative and technical skills. These are people who are highly successful because
they are able to think logically and creatively. In a graduation speech, Steve Jobs
told the story of how he dropped out of college and attended a typography class. By
studying the liberal arts he was able to later create a computer with various
different fonts.
A significant portion of our culture is embodied in art and music. Andy Warhol
creates art that includes celebrities, famous characters, and even a can of
Campbells soup. These are artworks that represent what is popular in American
culture. The same goes for music. Karl Paulnacks welcome address at The Boston
Conservatory encourages the incoming students to not doubt their decision to study
music at a higher level. In his address, Paulnack recounts that the first public
expression of grief after September eleventh was a concert at Lincoln Center.
Music keeps record of emotions during historic events. The Star Spangled Banner
was written on a boat in the midst of the Revolution and I Wish I Was in Dixie was
written during the Civil War. These are valuable pieces of history that should not be
overlooked by school curriculums.
Unfortunately many schools have discarded music and fine art courses and
have consequently put their students at a disadvantage. By implementing Liberal
arts into the curriculums of schools, from elementary through college, will see an
increase in students performances.

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