Music Education for All!
Music education is a complex issue that revolves around perceived ideas of cost, skill, and expression while simultaneously intertwined with our daily lives. Musics' basic concepts should be presented during the early years of education to provide the potential for an adaptive knowledge base.
For many of us, Music as an art can be a source of creativity and expression--and that's it. The truth of this art form is more extensive and reaches into cultural symbols at a deeper look. For those musicians who have self-taught or have been instructed formally, the following benefits of music are uniquely shared, yet I believe implementing formal music education in early levels allows for an even greater expansion of who can reap such rewards.
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💣 Explosive Brain Development
In an article by Susan Hallam (2010) empirical evidence on the effects music has on intellectual, social, and personal development of children and young people was examined to articulate the benefits of those who learn musical concepts. A major finding in this research were the types and length of musical activities one engaged with increasing the ability to transfer skills in other domains of knowledge. Explained thoroughly in three areas that greatly bring the affect of music to the front of this discussion are Numeracy and Linguistics.
Numeracy
Mathematics and music are compared as being fairly similar, which to a certain degree they are. In the article, the connection between math and music was in the skill of reading from notation and converting rhythm into sound; similar problem solving or conscious processing used in math. When a group of middle and high school students were placed in groups of high, moderate, or no level of control for music instruction, the high groups revealed the most gains during a math test. Conceptualizing this strong relationship of the shared skill as near and more likely to happen as opposed to weak and far, music knowledge can be transferred by the means of two modes: low road vs. high road. The conscious processing during music reading can be a high road of transfer to mathematics in the classroom when the need for reflection and problem solving are utilized.
Linguistics
Low road transfer of near skills are automatic and spontaneous which occur at the level of cortical processing. Spoken language and the sounds of music are two processes that share quick processing from the brain in terms of encoding the frequencies of phonemes and pitch. Encoding differences in frequencies in music is hearing the different pitch and assigning a notated form to accentuate the differences whereas phonemes in speech are the pieces of sound included in one spoken word. Music essentially sharpens this encoding mechanism to create superior coding in language differentiation. Superior and specialized encoding are seen in groups of students aged 4-6 given music instruction for 25 minutes for seven weeks demonstrating EEG frequencies marking increased cognitive processing.
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| The Grand Staff depicting notation of pitches from the C scale: starting at G and ending on E |
The results in this article have an important disclaimer: the longer one has engaged in music activities (i.e. since the age of 4) the benefits of refined processing will manifest. Meaning early music education impacts early development and later adult functioning. Language skills are embedded in everyday life from childhood to adulthood with deep cultural significance on how it used and with whom. It only makes sense that schools invest in children with music education. However, the way schools implement Music Education has an emphasis on financial ability to receive an instrument ignoring the potential of growth in such areas like Language skills.
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👐 The Social Issue On Our Hands
Part of the issue of music education is on financial support that mostly effects low-income children by simply not having access to instruments for music study. Financial reasons and perceptions of the costly nature of purchasing an instrument deter most from pursuing music education. Ester and Turner (2009) examined the impact of loaner programs on attitudes and achievement for students in urban areas with low socioeconomic status (SES) to justify the need for music programs lending financial assistance for music instruction.
Loaner programs did provide beneficial gains for low SES students using a school instrument by way of immunity of the effects of a low SES, and the rise in academic performance to equivalent levels compared to medium-high SES students. Measuring academic and musical growth with teacher evaluations and self-report, certain items would have predicted large difference between low and medium-high SES groups in: focus and concentration, motivation, self-confidence, and practice habits. Yet, researchers believed low SES students gained an immunity from those areas being effected from having a loaner school instrument as there was no significant difference between both groups.
Loaner programs did provide beneficial gains for low SES students using a school instrument by way of immunity of the effects of a low SES, and the rise in academic performance to equivalent levels compared to medium-high SES students. Measuring academic and musical growth with teacher evaluations and self-report, certain items would have predicted large difference between low and medium-high SES groups in: focus and concentration, motivation, self-confidence, and practice habits. Yet, researchers believed low SES students gained an immunity from those areas being effected from having a loaner school instrument as there was no significant difference between both groups.
No matter how convincing having an instrument is, there is a second important component that schools are missing, which the previous article suggested schools must have for their loaner programs to work.
INSTRUCTION
Music learning can be described in terms of Pedagogy; the act of learning something by actively being taught something. A teacher fits this role when students learn to make sense of artistic concepts. This is the area that schools should focus on; the level of instruction and the methods of teaching musical concepts. As described in Samuelsson et al. (2009) there are effective ways of teaching music for younger ages in four areas: a teachers role, setting learning objects, having conversations, and gauging the progress of a student.
The four areas overlap to create an environment for growth and exploration. In the study, teachers without musical knowledge underwent in-service education by a professional composer. During recorded sessions with a class of students, researchers noted the importance of how the teacher engaged with the classroom by directing the students attention. In one scenario, after playing music while students participated in a group painting activity, teachers asked the students what they thought of the music and painting. Students seemed to think the music was background to the more stimulating activity of painting. In a second scenario, the teacher had students individually paint while directing them to listen to the music while painting. Now, students showed a greater response to the concepts of music--tempo, rhythm, pitch, and melody--as reflective of what they had painted. This is an example of the teachers role in guiding the attention of students to bring awareness of music to students thinking. This method highlights the importance of objectifying concepts that are worth learning for students and introducing variance. For example, pulse and tempo can be difficult concepts to understand without a concrete example because of the similar qualities. Researchers suggest students experience the feeling of pulse in an example, but to provide variation in the speed of pulse, also known as tempo, with other examples. In this way, students can grasp the idea without repeated exposure to the same concept of pulse allowing an effective way to interpret both concepts. Another example is in the written notation of notes as opposed to regular text. Here, teachers can engage in conversations for students to take the initiative and explain their thinking. Teachers then understand the students perspectives, and challenge their thinking. Musical notation incorporates the idea of reading, so asking students the differences between text and notation will solidify the differences while gauging the level of student understanding.
The four areas overlap to create an environment for growth and exploration. In the study, teachers without musical knowledge underwent in-service education by a professional composer. During recorded sessions with a class of students, researchers noted the importance of how the teacher engaged with the classroom by directing the students attention. In one scenario, after playing music while students participated in a group painting activity, teachers asked the students what they thought of the music and painting. Students seemed to think the music was background to the more stimulating activity of painting. In a second scenario, the teacher had students individually paint while directing them to listen to the music while painting. Now, students showed a greater response to the concepts of music--tempo, rhythm, pitch, and melody--as reflective of what they had painted. This is an example of the teachers role in guiding the attention of students to bring awareness of music to students thinking. This method highlights the importance of objectifying concepts that are worth learning for students and introducing variance. For example, pulse and tempo can be difficult concepts to understand without a concrete example because of the similar qualities. Researchers suggest students experience the feeling of pulse in an example, but to provide variation in the speed of pulse, also known as tempo, with other examples. In this way, students can grasp the idea without repeated exposure to the same concept of pulse allowing an effective way to interpret both concepts. Another example is in the written notation of notes as opposed to regular text. Here, teachers can engage in conversations for students to take the initiative and explain their thinking. Teachers then understand the students perspectives, and challenge their thinking. Musical notation incorporates the idea of reading, so asking students the differences between text and notation will solidify the differences while gauging the level of student understanding.
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| Circle of Fifths is a theoretical approach to the relationship between the 12 tones of the chromatic scale. |
Self-taught musicians (myself included) are exemplars to the benefits of music with no formal training.
In the next section I discuss my journey with music, and provide the faces of those
who pursue music without fail as self-taught musicians.
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😤 Why Music Education Gets Me Heated
My personal perspective on music starts from self teaching guitar to my formal training in Community College. I had first learned guitar on my own and later joined a garage band with a group of friends. I loved every part of learning music with the group and by myself! It was a way to be part of something greater by working indirectly with a group to create one thing: Music. The feeling of physically playing ties with the natural self-expression music offers, which is stimulating after-the-fact. There has never been a more joyous feeling than learning a piece of music, playing it through without errors, and being left with the feeling of an accomplishment.
Its euphoric!
That feeling only grew greater as I decided to actually learn about music theory in Community College. Where the expansion of music knowledge grew, sadly this is where my journey ended. For me to continue pursuing a higher education in music, I was required to know many aspects of Piano, Sight Reading, and Theory in the span of two years. Unfortunately, what threw a wrench in my plans was my self-perception of a musician as very inadequate. This cognitive view was largely the result of not learning any of those concepts in Middle School and High School where the importance of such concepts took a backseat from other core topics placing me in a position of playing "catch-up" with my peers. In the end, I changed majors and pursued Psychology to save the impending denial from Universities who I would audition for, and to pursue education with some other refined skills.
What I see as the social issue is how schools do not incorporate Music Art at such a diverse level for students who can gain knowledge to stimulate their cognitive abilities, and most importantly shape their understandings of what music offers. One could argue Marching Band is already in place for Music education, but from personal experience this form of music learning is limiting when formal training and Universities include and require far and above what Band offers; mainly on understanding musical concepts on top of performing. Learning how music works will not make a person great at playing for example, but music theory offers separate avenues of thought creation; the melding of conceptual ideas that help people learn tough concepts with greater ease. Offering in depth music classes than simply playing on a football field allow individuals to interact with different genres and styles synthesizing their knowledge of basic music theory with actual music into a richer context.
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| Shows a resolution of a dominant V chord to the tonic I chord. A common method used in Pop music. |
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🙋 The Musical Faces of Norwalk, CA
Gabby Camacho Jonathan Chacon
- "Music happens like a chain reaction. - "The ability to perceive and interpret
One person inspires the next. It is music appears to be an innate characteristic
possible for everyone to get a sense of that we all share. As such, the pursuit to
happiness when ;earning how to properly learn the medium through which music is
play a song, or to be able to write that verse created appears open-ended and seemingly
that you'e had on the back of your mind. I've infinite. As someone who has learned to
felt happiness from both ends of the rope... play music purely through the observation
Being taught, and leading as the teacher." of others and the experimentation of sound, I feel confident that with enough time and preserverance, the ability to learn
and play "music" becomes inescapable."
David Aguilar Ethan Gonzalez
- "Manifest your destiny."
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Gabby Camacho Jonathan Chacon
- "Music happens like a chain reaction. - "The ability to perceive and interpret
One person inspires the next. It is music appears to be an innate characteristic
possible for everyone to get a sense of that we all share. As such, the pursuit to
happiness when ;earning how to properly learn the medium through which music is
play a song, or to be able to write that verse created appears open-ended and seemingly
that you'e had on the back of your mind. I've infinite. As someone who has learned to
felt happiness from both ends of the rope... play music purely through the observation
Being taught, and leading as the teacher." of others and the experimentation of sound, I feel confident that with enough time and preserverance, the ability to learn
and play "music" becomes inescapable."
David Aguilar Ethan Gonzalez
- "Manifest your destiny."
________________________________________________
References
Ester, D., & Turner, K. (2009). The impact of a school loaner-instrument program on the attitudes and achievement of low-income music students. Contributions to Music Education, 36, 53- 71. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24127218
Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28, 269-289. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761410370658
Samuelsson, I.P., Carlsson, M.A., Olsson, B., Pramling, N., & Wallerstedt, C. (2009). The art of teaching children the arts: music, dance and poetry with children aged 2–8 years old. International Journal of Early Years Education, 17, 119-135. DOI: 10.1080/09669760902982323
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