The Lost Value of Music in Public Education: How to Find a Music Community
“I can not imagine my life
if I didn't have a music program in my school.”
~Beyonce
Over the past several years, Music education programs have deteriorated in the public school systems.
With the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) program initiated in 2001, this law became the primary standard for K–12 general education in the United States. It held public schools accountable for how children learned and achieved in the classroom. It was highly controversial, partly because it penalized schools that did not show academic improvement.
The "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) replaced the NCLB in 2015. It kept some parts of NCLB and repealed others. It modified but did not eliminate provisions relating to the standardized tests given to students.
How Could This Happen, and what has been the Loss?
The educational system continues to value and promote academic achievement over creative thinking. The result? The increased focus on the improvement of student's scores within aptitude tests. Resulting in music and art programs not being given the time, value, or funding for music education.
Testing in subjects like English and Math is quantifiable, whereas creative development testing is not, which is mostly the reason it has taken a hit. While well-intentioned, the program did not take into account the significant loss that would ultimately be the result. Music programs have diminished greatly within schools.
The Value of Music and How to Find a Music Community!
Music education enhances language ability, promotes long-term health, fosters emotional resilience, increases brain capacity, and cultivates empathy, as well as social and neurological development.
At Leading Note Studios, we are committed to music education and firmly agree on the intellectual and cultural importance of music. Music joins languages, mathematics, science, the humanities, and many other art disciplines. It serves as both an essential mode of thought and work, as well as a means of achieving success. Music is a unique form of communication with its own body of knowledge and skills, and music literacy is fundamental to every education.
Music literacy is the ability to read and write musical notation, to communicate through performance or composition, to work with artistic elements and structures, and to be conversant with a body of music history and literature. Through a comprehensive, sequential program of music study, literacy is formulated, and this approach increases knowledge and enjoyment of music. Music enables students to gain fuller access to the world and also expands their individual potential.
There are many Music Schools all over the San Diego area. Be diligent in finding a school that will provide you or your child with the foundational skills necessary for lifelong learning. A school with a proven track record, offering lessons for all instruments, and boasting a strong online presence and website will be a great place to start.
Tour the schools, ask questions, but by all means, don't miss out on the gift that music will bring to you and your family.