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by Alex Cosper (9/19/13) For years music departments at schools have struggled with funding all because of the perception among gatekeepers that it was not a necessary part of education. But a growing body of research shows otherwise, that music is a powerful enhancement tool for education, especially for children who learn a musical instrument. There's even evidence that music itself is good for the brain. A study from Northwestern University points to musical training being helpful in strengthening reading and speech skills. The evidence links auditory and neural responses. The Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University suggests that musical training helps strengthen associations between sound and meaning, one of the keys to reading ability. The obvious connection between music, reading and speech is rhythm. The study found that teenagers who were unable to accurately tap a beat with their fingers to a metronome also showed difficulty with reading skills. Evidence suggests that kids who understand music better may have better reading and speaking skills. If this is true then it follows that more, not less, musical education should be taught in schools. Another study from University of West London has shown that learning a musical instrument can improve a child's social behavior. The idea that music is more than just entertainment was understood by Albert Einstein, who learned how to play violin as a child. He used the violin throughout his adult life as a tool for connecting with universal harmony, since he understood that music could bridge logic and emotion. One of Einstein's most overlooked quotes that may point to his most brilliant thinking was "imagination is more important than knowledge." That type of thinking certainly didn't hold Einstein back from being commonly regarded as one of the smartest people who ever lived. Music is both a science and an art. The combination of science and art covers a wide terrain of both knowledge and imagination. From a scientific perspective, music can be broken down into simple mathematics. Distances between musical notes can be measured in intervals. Rhythms can be measured by beats per measure and tempos can be measured by beats per minute. Harmony is the blending of two or more notes together. The entire universe of music can be understood and expressed mathematically. At the same time, music can be understood as an expression of emotions. Minor chords are associated with melancholy sounds while major chords are associated with happy sounds. In America, pop cultre tends to be separate from the education system, other than being categorized as liberal arts. Historically, music hasn't been considered as a useful education tool beyond learning music itself. It may be time for leaders of the education system to rethink this structure, since music has much more valuable utility than pure entertainment. Music can even be used as therapy for healing. Learning music theory or a muscial instrument helps exercise both sides of the brain. The analytical side of the brain is improved the more one understands how rhythm and melody work together. The other side of the brain where emotion and abstractions are perceived can be enhance by learning the relationship between musical intervals and sounds that are pleasing to the ear. |
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