Should music be compulsory?

Should music be compulsory?

Music education greatly enhances students’ understanding and achievement in non-musical subjects.

For example, a ten-year study, which tracked over 25,000 middle and high school students, showed that students in music classes receive higher scores on standardized tests than students with little to no musical involvement.

The musical students scored, on average, sixty-three points higher on the verbal section and forty-four points higher on the math sections of the SATs than non-music students (Judson).

When applying to colleges, these points could be the difference between an acceptance letter and a rejection letter.

Furthermore, certain areas of musical training are tied to specific areas of academics; this concept is called transfer. According to Susan Hallam, “Transfer between tasks is a function of the degree to which the tasks share cognitive processes” (5-6). To put this simply, the more related two subjects are, the more transfer will ensue. This can be evidenced with the correlation between rhythm instruction and spatial-temporal reasoning, which is integral in the acquisition of important math skills. The transfer can be explained by the fact that rhythm training emphasizes proportions, patterns, fractions, and ratios, which are expressed as mathematical relations (Judson).

Therefore, even though students may not have an interest to become music professionals, music education should remain compulsory as it plays significant role for personal development.

Learn also if reading notes should be compulsory too:

https://www.piano-composer-teacher-london.co.uk/post/2017/02/12/is-it-compulsory-to-read-notes-to-play-the-piano-cant-i-just-play-by-ears-piano-lessons

#WKMT #musictheoryatwkmt #pianolessonsLondon #adultpianolessons #pianolessonsforbeginners #WKMTTUITION #musiclessons