merry xmas!

merry christmas to you and your loved ones from YDNFTF!

music=student success

The cyclic nature of U.S. public education has, once again turned regressive. Progressive education proponents—descendants of Dewey (1897)—find their theories abandoned and instruction reduced to only those content areas that are norm-reference-tested. Not unlike the launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 and the call-to-math-and-science-arms it stirred in this country, the implementation of No Child Left Behind (2002)—which generously considered art a “core subject”—has unintentionally made the study of the arts a victim of the current political movement. While this may seem historically inconsequential—the teaching of art has gained and lost popularity throughout history—the ramifications vis-à-vis student achievement are significant since fine arts can improve higher-order, concrete, and abstract thinking, the very skills students need for success in school (Gallatt, 2007).

According to Petress (2005), of all the arts, music is the most important because it has proven beneficial to students in four major categories: success in school, success in society, success in developing intelligence, and success in life. Despite its merits, music has taken the biggest cuts due to the high costs associated with music education (sheet music, instrument purchase and repair). More affluent schools manage to maintain music programs, but music education is vital to the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual growth of all students, regardless of economic background. Its virtues include:

· Self-discipline, dedication, and goal-setting

· Hard work, practice, and improvement

· Self-confidence and humility

· Teamwork

Gardiner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences provides more support for utilizing music to fully educate students. When teachers address all learning styles—including music—students develop their weaker modalities while nurturing their stronger ones. This allows all students to be more versatile learners in various settings (Mixon, 2004).

While the so-called “Mozart Effect” debate rages on, most scholars agree that music motivates students to learn (Eady & Wilson, 2004). It provides an “emotional hook” that can engage students in learning rudimentary facts (McIntire, 2007). Raymond & Broderick (2007) claim that even the most reticent of students will enthusiastically participate in classroom activities when given the opportunity through the arts, allowing them to dig deeper into the curriculum, and providing richer content without sacrificing teacher accountability. Even rap music, which has unified an entire generation of disparate cultures, can be used in the classroom to educate, its “driving beat” mixed with educational lyrics adding interest to otherwise lackluster lessons (Eady & Wilson, 2004).

Music helps students learn more, more effectively in core subjects, as well as contribute to the attainment of learning goals (Eady & Wilson, 2004). Therefore, music should be woven into the tapestry of the curriculum. Since music and literacy go hand-in-hand—literacy, vocabulary, and memorization skills are naturally developed through melody, rhythm, and rhyme (McIntire, 2007)—reading instruction should be fused with music in order to enhance its effectiveness (Eady & Wilson, 2004). If teaching the whole student is our goal, then music is an important medium that teachers and educators should utilize to maximize student achievement, motivation, and involvement.