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Recently, students
from a variety of areas and grade levels in music
throughout the district were asked to share why music
was important to them. The following are some of
their responses to this prompt: "Music is important to
my complete education because..." |
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"Music is important
to my complete education because music is more
than just music. Reading, writing and math classes
are usually the courses that are considered as
"important to a complete education", and music
classes do not seem to belong in any of these
categories. Reading and writing are associated with
language arts. Singing uses more language centers
in the brain than words alone. Research shows that
students who attend music classes can better
decipher different sounds, which leads to better
reading skills. Math is the third topic that is
commonly thought of as an important subject.
Spatial-temporal reasoning is what allows humans to
understand mathematics. Research also shows that
instrumental music training permanently improves
spatial reasoning skills, because playing a musical
instrument requires the instrumentalist to practice
coordination of the left hand more often than
somebody who does not have that opportunity. In the
human brain, the area that controls the left hand is
located very close to the area that houses one's
spatial-temporal reasoning. When exercising the
left hand, blood and nutrients flow to the part of
the brain that controls its movements. Over time,
increased use of the brain can cause increased
growth and development. Music itself is mostly
processed in the right side of the brain. This is
also where spatial, mathematical and reasoning
abilities take place. Music provides exercise for
the right side of the brain, which aids in its
development. MRIs have shown that the corpus
callosum, the part which connects the two halves of
the brain, is actually larger in musicians.
Furthermore, the temporal lobe, which controls
speech and hearing, is larger in musicians who have
absolute pitch. Musicians also have increased
volumes of gray matter in parts of the cerebral
cortex and cerebellum associated with movement,
listening and sight. These features are so
noticeable that anatomists can easily recognize a
picture of the brain of a professional musician but
struggle to identify one of a visual artist, writer
or mathematician. The earlier the student begins to
study music, the larger and more developed parts of
their brain become. Some scientists even believe
that adults with years of music training have minds
that are organized differently than other human's
brains because music helps to organize the
developing brains of children, especially the areas
associated with creative reasoning. Tested students
with musical training have been shown to use their
frontal lobes and cerebellums more than others.
Simply listening to music, as most high school
students do, does not have the same effect. To be
fully effective, opportunities must be presented to
students in which they can create their own music.
Music also stimulates the cerebrum. Research has
shown that the left hemispheres of musically trained
students are larger and more developed than their
untrained peers. Students show more advanced math
and reasoning abilities after participating in music
classes. The College Board has also shown that
students involved in music score significantly
higher on the SAT. In this way, music is more than
just music. Because Music has shown to be such an
integral part of life and learning, music is
actually important to a student's complete education
at any age.
- LAHS, Senior
Instrumental and Vocal Student
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"Music
is important to my complete education because you
can take any other course, like Math or English, but it
could never give you the same feeling as Music. Music
teaches you to play from your heart and mind, giving you
a great feeling when you succeed. Music can also help
you think in different ways, giving a new perspective on
basically anything. This could help in any creative
course. I believe playing a piece of music also helps
you step into the shoes of whoever created it, playing
what their emotions were at the time. Music is an all
around academic and social course making it important to
my complete education."
-LAHS, Freshman Instrumental
Music Student
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"Music
is important to my complete education because it
is the only class that allows me to express myself.
Most classes are straight from the book learning,
which is important, but it does not give an
individual the opportunity to express him or
herself. Expressing yourself is a valuable part of
education because it helps give a person character
and personality which will help in the real world."
-LAHS,
Sophomore Instrumental Music Student
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"Music
is important to my complete education because it
makes me a more rounded student by challenging me in
different ways than other classes do. Music makes
me think in different ways and use different parts
of my brain which people who are not involved in
Music may never use."
-LAHS, Freshman Instrumental Music Student
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"Music
is important to my complete education because it
allows me to express myself and enhances my
creativity beyond the confines of a pencil,
calculator and a piece of paper."
-LAHS, Sophomore Instrumental Music Student
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it is the
only time during the day when I am challenged to do my
best so that I may add to the excellence of the group.
All other classes and subjects tell me to solely pursue
individual superiority and growth. In choir, I
grow and achieve success as the group does. It is
much more rewarding to be a part of the accomplishment
of the choir, or even just a section, than to worry
about selfish personal success."
-IVHS, Junior
Choral Music Student |
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it
completes my education. Music is more than sound.
It’s something that drives you to do something, feel
something, say something and, most importantly, sing
something. You do not play music…I believe you
feel it. In every person there is music inside of
you. It just may take that person longer to find
it than others. Music comes from the soul.
It comes from the heart. Music completes you."
-IVHS, Sophomore
Choral Music Student |
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it
empowers the individual to take their learning to the
next level. Not only does music feed the soul, but
it enriches our lives. Singing improves our
knowledge on composers and their time periods, teaches
us diverse languages and applies to many other areas of
life. Without music our worlds would be lifeless.
Where would the joy and emotion be? For me, music
is a way for me to escape from my worries and enter a
world where I am free to express myself. My life
is full of a passion for music and without it I do not
know how I would succeed."
-IVHS, Junior
Student |
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it allows
me to express what words cannot. Music allows me
to better understand the way others live their lives.
Music is a way to display creativity in a manner other
than art. Music allows for a 'vacation' from the
strict rules of most school classes. It provides
for me a way to demonstrate my feelings and takes me to
a different world."
-IVHS, Senior
Instrumental/Choral Student |
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it will
give me the basic skills necessary for the business
world. It will teach me how to be observant.
Music, since it is usually played in a large group, will
teach me how to work with others. Music will also
give me the appreciation of other races, cultures,
backgrounds and it will open my eyes to the styles and
personalities of various people. It also shows me, and
everyone, how to express emotions through a creative
way."
-IVHS, Junior
Instrumental Student |
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"Music is
important to my complete education because it
relieves the stress of the school day. Music also
gives me team building skills only available as a group.
Music gives me skills and knowledge I can use later in
life. I personally believe knowledge of music can
increase your brain level. Finally, music is one
of the classes where I can express myself, whereas in
other classes it all comes from a book."
-IVHS, Freshman
Instrumental Student |
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| "Music is
important to my complete education because
it helps me to be
responsible for myself, such as practicing and bringing
my instrument and music on the appropriate days."
- LMS, 6th Grade
Student |
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| "Music is
important to my complete education because you have
more opportunities when you get older. You can play in
other ensembles in high school and college, such as the
Blue Band." - LMS, 6th Grade
Student |
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| "Music is
important to my complete education because you can
use it to escape a stressful day or if you are
frustrated with homework. It gives you a more positive
mindset." - LMS, 6th Grade
Student |
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| "Music is
important to my complete education because it's a
foreign language, and it can be an advantage when you
take a foreign language in school, because you are not
only more open-minded towards languages besides English,
but music can help you to comprehend another language
more effectively." - LMS, 8th
Grade Student |
| "Music is
important to my complete education because it helps
you to keep an active mind. Since your mind is more
active, you can focus better on other subjects in
school." - LMS, 7th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because music lets you express
yourself, music is a form of art, music is just cool."
- LMS, 6th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because music is my life. I
like to learn about all the cultures. My music
teacher makes learning a lot easier, and fun.
Music needs to stay in school." -LMS, 6th Grade
Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because if I didn't have music I
would have no way to express myself and then I would
stay all bottled up and I would flip out or something
and then get kicked out. Also, if I didn't have
music I wouldn't be able to have fun with what I'm doing
because it's like the best class ever!" - LMS, 7th
Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it makes me concentrate
better during everything. Music is everything to
me." - LMS, 8th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it helps you to memorize
things" - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it gives you
responsibilities." - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it is the way to express
feelings." - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it is the way I express
myself." - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because sometimes we can realize
other people's feelings with the notes or expression of
the music." - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because ever since we started
playing recorders we had to be responsible and remember
to bring them." - SMES, 4th Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it gives us a chance to
dance and sing with our friends." - SMES, 3rd Grade
Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because music helps me think more
clearly in school." - SMES, 3rd Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it can help kids learn
about different cultures and instruments." - SMES,
3rd Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it is a way to fully
express yourself. Music changes lives forever."
- SMES, 3rd Grade Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it makes me responsible.
It also gives me something to be proud of." - SMES,
4th Grade Band Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because it gives me more
responsibility which gives me good habits. Good
habits lead to good grades" - SMES, 4th Grade Band
Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because
it lets me express my
feelings and helps me learn discipline." -
SMES, 4th Grade Band Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because you learn
responsibilities. You have to practice, and you
have to be independent. Also you have to work at
it." - SMES, 4th Grade Band Student |
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| "Music is important to my
complete education because
it includes all of the
subjects from school and transforms it into something so
beautiful and wonderful. It is something that I need to
work hard at so it teaches me time management. It
includes reading because you need to be able to read the
notes right away when playing a song. It includes
science because without science you wouldn't be able to
get your instrument to work. I plan for my success, I
make a goal and I usually accomplish that goal by the
time I am done practicing." - SMES, 7th
Grade Band Student |
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"Music is the
love of my soul."
- LMS, 6th
Grade Student |
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