Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Professor Bruce
English 301
16 March 2017
Working Title:
Research Question:
Should music programs be supported in schools, despite the financial cost of supporting them?
Working Thesis:
Although supporting music programs may have some burdens on school districts, there are still
many more advantages, such as improved cognition and social skills, which outweigh the
Introduction:
Music programs for school levels K-12 have continued to be taken away as districts
make budget cuts and look elsewhere to spend their money. Unfortunately, this may be doing
more harm than good. Without their knowing, the board of directors is depriving students from
beneficial opportunities that help with cognitive development, especially the visual, auditory,
and motor cortices (Collins), and social opportunities that teach students to create
connections with others. The amount of money that a district pays for each student in a music
program averages at about $187 per year (NAMM), a measly cost to pay for the added benefits
of music programs. Parents and community members have also dwindled on the border
towards cutting music programs due to their financial needs. According to Tillotson et al, many
parents showed support for their children after seeing them actively involved in a youth
orchestra, stating that being involved with music helped their children focus and learn to
Annotations:
1. Collins, Anita. How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain Anita Collins. YouTube,
a) This video shows how the brain gets a workout from playing a musical instrument and
b) This source will help support my claim that music enhances cognitive development. In
this video it states that the brains visual, motor, and auditory cortices are especially
getting a workout. This source goes into further detail about the brains enhanced
2. Study First to Detail the Costs of Comprehensive Music Education. NAMM, 28, Aug. 2012,
https://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/study-first-detail-costs-comprehensive-
music.
a) This looks at the average financial cost of providing music programs in elementary
b) This source shows that music programs dont actually cost that much to support. If it is
the cost that stops music programs from flourishing, students should raise the money
themselves in order to continue doing something that they claim to love. This measly
cost shows that the debate over cutting music programs due to a financial strain isnt
3. Sussman, Eliahu. "Music as a Vehicle for Social Change." School Band & Orchestra, 14.1
(2011): 24-30.
a) This source takes a look into Venezuelas music program, El Sistema, and its success in
b) This program talks about the kids involved in their music groups and how they are able
to change their lifes trajectory from the streets to the road to success. These kids
were given the opportunity to create a network of connections, develop their social
skills through playing in a group, and taught them self-discipline and passion. This
source will help bolster my claim that music programs are able to develop social skills
and teach children valuable lessons that can be used throughout life, both in music
4. Tillotson, Kristin, and Kristin Tillotson; Staff Writer. "Playing for Keeps; as Music Programs at
Many Schools Continue to Shrink, Independent Youth Symphonies Offer Kids the Chance
to Be Part of an Orchestra. Parents Say the Lifelong Benefits Are Well Worth the Time
a) Parents show their support for music education and share the benefits that music has
to participate in youth orchestras. The parents of these kids state that the investment
they put into their children pays off when they see that their children are able to focus
more in school and display confidence in themselves to succeed. This source will help
me make the case that parents should care more about what their children are getting
out of the music program instead of what they are putting in (money).