VanDyke 1

Is Music Education in Common Core Really That Common?

Mikala VanDyke

Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

3/31/17

VanDyke 2

If you observe the function of the human body, you will very soon determine that the heart is

one of the most important organs in the body. Without the heart, the body does not function at all,

but is dead. If music is removed from life, it would be like removing the heart. And there would

be no life. Music is the essence of the quality of life, and should always be a part of any function

where there are people. Lets take a look into the real value of music education. Is it necessary?

Do most public schools include it in their curriculum? How does music benefit a childs

education? I love this opening paragraph. It really catches the readers attention and introduces

your topic.

What is common core? Common core is the standards of teaching for grades K-12. The board

decides what the teachers will teach and how they present it to students. Common core within

public schools is always changing. The board tries to decide what the best and easiest way for

kids to learn. Are they always correct in the way they change things? No, but there are some

benefits to the new common core arrangements according to the National Education Association

(Long, Cindy. ) Such as giving the students more realistic lessons, like putting more non-fiction

books in the library. Common core also brings more collaborative work to the classroom.

Students are required to work together on assignments and share resources. One of the big

positives of having common core is that the things the students learn in class will prepare them

for college, especially students who are in high school. Though these changes are positive, music
has not been as included as it has in the past. Benefits of music can be stress relief of not only

teachers, but students as well. Bringing music in the classroom has an additional taste of

creativity that anybody can use.(Parsad, Basmat.) I like how you gave a definition of what

common core is and giving a metaphor of what common core is to education.

VanDyke 3

Music programs all over the country are faced with challenges. Some challenges could be in

the form of finances, school board opinions, or common core curriculum. These various road

blocks are the things that can cause schools to eliminate the music and arts programs within their

subjects. You might ask, Where are the finances going if they aren't tending to school system

construction and supplies? According to (The Benefits of Music Education), the extra funding

most public schools receive is typically used for sports events, or towards the advancement in

todays technology by enhancing the STEM science programs and experiments. Great evidence

to use! Most people think of music and arts as being inferior to regular studies and subjects

because it doesnt look to have any educational and neurological benefits such as; college

scholarships, higher test scores, and a higher GPA. These people may not realize the benefits that

music does give in result to academics.

Music was being created before history was ever recorded. Archaeologists discovered musical

instruments that dated all the way back to thirty-thousand years ago. Anybody can find a way to

make music, whether it is with a stick and rocks, or dry ground. Music is what makes each

culture diverse from any other. Music is what makes one person different from the next.
Schools should fund music education because music can be beneficial to not only academics, but

many other things as well. I love the information you gave to show why music is important and

why it should still be offered to students.

The NAfME, National Association for Music Education, says that students will develop

increased coordination, enhanced memory and fine-tuned auditory skills, creative thinking,

increased spatial intelligence, and over all; better self confidence. Not only does music

VanDyke 4

education benefit students, but also teachers as they are educating children in schools. If schools

are able to keep music programs, this will insure jobs for teachers across

the country. Statistics Studies have been shown that students who are involved in music have a

significant difference in test scores; such as, twenty-two percent higher in English and twenty

percent higher in Math for standardized tests in schools. (The Benefits of Music Education)

Secretary Arne Duncan spoke about how students with disabilities and even English language

learners can benefit from arts classes because they often dont get the proper learning

environments or are sometimes at a disadvantage from the lack of proper curriculum courses.

(Pellegrinelli, Lara.)

In academics, musical training helps develop language and reasoning skills. Music can make

students want to achieve more in their academic studies and are more likely to stay in school

since it is offered as a class in most cases. One study stated that the students in music scored

average of 63 points higher in verbal content and 44 points higher in math. Introducing music to

anyone, even at a young age, can help improve academic skills and make students more

interesting in learning. Music can even make kids see the world from a different view, noticing

things that they wouldnt have seen before. Music can help people enhance their confidence
levels and build up imagination ("20 Important Benefits of Music in Our Schools). The

development of language over time tends to enhance parts of the brain that help process music,

language competence is at the root of social competence. Musical experience strengthens the

capacity to be verbally competent.- Dr. Kyle Pruett, clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale

VanDyke 5

School of Medicine ("The Benefits of Music Education.). The growth of neural activity of

musically talented people is larger because you use more of your brain when you practice and

play instruments.-Dr. Eric Rasmussen (chair of the Early Childhood Music Department).

Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy at the University of Texas,

studied that students involved in music education and activities score twenty-two percent higher

in English and twenty percent higher in Math for standardized tests in schools. Like children

involved in sports, music increases coordination skills and memory. Many students involved with

sports, however, do not have time to be involved in musical study. They still have to maintain a

good grade average in schools to be allowed to participate in sport activities. That helps push the

players to want to be more successful and it teaches them what is most important when it comes

to grades and extra-curricular activities. Music is the same way; it helps teach students how to

study and how to expand their mind. ("20 Important Benefits of Music In Our Schools).

A science researcher, E. Glenn Schellenberg, took three groups of six year olds and gave the

first group music and voice lessons for nine months. The second group received drama and

theatre lessons, and the third group received nothing. After the nine months were completed, the

six year olds were tested on who benefitted most from this experiment. The first group showed

an increase of IQ numbers by three. The second group received increase of skills like speech and

social behavior but nothing more. The third group did not show any change at all from when they
started. Researchers have observed through various experiments that a musicians brain works

differently than others ("The Benefits of Music Education."). Great source and information. I

love how this shows that music education shows the biggest increase in a student's education.

VanDyke 6

Across the country, music classes are being closed off to students because of reasons that seem

like they could be easy to solve. Groups of people notice this and the changes that are happening

with curriculums and these people are starting support groups. Members of the group speak out

against common core and how they are opting to revoke music from their curriculum.

Supporters have been raising awareness of the decrease in availability for musical courses in

order to raise money to maintain the classes for students who are interested in music. The money

that they collect will be donated to schools in order to keep music and arts alive in public school

systems. A Music in Our Schools Month was created to celebrate the benefits of musics

involvement in education and to encourage enhancing the programs even if budget problems

arise. (How Important Is Music Education in Schools?)

The availability of music does depend on the type of school, according to (Pellegrinelli, Lara.)

Between the years of 1999-2000, the average of high poverty secondary schools that offered

music was 100%. That percentage has dropped to 81% today and is continuously dropping. Now

that schools are starting to cut out music classes from their curriculum, teachers are losing their

jobs, students are losing passion in creative arts, and music education is becoming scarce. Even

though some people are in favor of keeping music alive in public schools, its not quite enough.

Many parents have concern for their kids if they are involved in music. This is because they feel
that their child is wasting their academic potential and time. There is no absolute way to solve

this problem yet, except if schools gain funds to keep the programs going.

VanDyke 7

Music has proven to be useful in many ways and I believe that if people knew the benefits and

saw the differences it could make in peoples lives, schools would try their best to keep music

available within common core.

This paper is very well written. You used a lot of facts and statistics which really strengthens

why schools should keep music as part of education. Maybe write about how much it costs

schools to have music education. Overall I think this paper is really good. Did you have any

experiences with music during school? Maybe thats something you can add. This paper shows

that you have spent a lot of time researching and piecing together your information to make it

flow. I cant wait to see the final product!