Re-Tuning Music Education

Our nation's long-term memory has deteriorated. Fifty years ago, public schools in the United States had something that educators around the world were eager to adopt--a strong music program. Japan, Germany and other countries began to realize the value of music in the schools and the system of music education in the U.S. became a model to emulate.

Today, Japanese students in grades 1 to 9 receive instruction from a music specialist two hours each week. In Germany, K to 12 students receive a weekly minimum of two 45-minute music classes. Norway and Korea also have school music programs for every student. Meanwhile, the U.S. has failed to maintain the standards of music education it set in the 1950s, much less make any progress. When I was a freshman in high school, the only music group supported by the school was a small stage band. We had no choir, no marching band, no orchestra. By the time I graduated, the stage band was gone too.

Debates on the role of music in the classroom have, of late, centered around whether exposure to music can enhance the aptitude for math and other subjects. A recent study conducted by Harvard's Graduate School of Education concluded that a relationship between music and IQ doesn't exist.

Arts advocates should not, however, be discouraged by these findings. Rather, they should consider other arguments for why music is a crucial part of a complete education. It's hard to deny that we, as humans, have a natural affinity for music. Just take a group of toddlers and put on some light, happy music. It's a beautiful sight. Two-year olds will get up and start moving this way and that, and you'll likely hear peals of laughter or those sounds of joy that toddlers can only make.

Music elevates our state of mind, if not our intelligence quotient. We have physical education mandated in our schools because we recognize the basic importance of a healthy body. Music education is equally important to the maintenance of a healthy spirit.

This idea is by no means new. It has been held for centuries, by some of the greatest thinkers. Aristotle acknowledged the benefits of music, particularly for young children, when he wrote that "music can render the character of the soul of a certain quality...the teaching of music is fitting in relation to the nature of those of such [a young] age." Hsn Tzu, a Chinese philosopher born about 70 years before Aristotle, wrote that music is "the key to central harmony and a necessary requirement of human emotion."

Music is beneficial not only on an individual level. Playing or singing music in a group creates a sense of community and teamwork. Being part of a school choir or band can teach a child listening skills and instill a sense of responsibility to a larger group. Most importantly, music can add stability and comfort to a young person's life. The more precarious a child's home life or external condition, the more important the need for mental rejuvenation at school. (Since when have the three R's rejuvenated you?)

These days, we demand more from our schools. They now have pressure to produce students capable of competing in the global economy and also compensate for parents who fail to teach their children the right values. Schools are now asked to produce better people for society--not just students who can satisfy academic benchmarks. But these added demands on our educators provide more reason for why music should be part of every school's curriculum.

Vice President Al Gore '69 and Texas Gov. George W. Bush outline a number of educational reforms they plan to implement if elected to the presidency: increasing funding for technology in the classroom, shutting down schools that fail to meet standards and developing character education programs. Not a word of either candidate's proposals mention funding for music programs--or anything about the arts, for that matter.

If the overwhelmingly favorable box-office response to films like Mr. Holland's Opus and Music of the Heart are any indication, the public supports music programs in our schools. While Bush and Gore have admirable goals for education reform, their agendas are incomplete. A complete education is one that enriches the mind and the spirit, and nothing can move and develop the spirit like music.

When considering education reforms, we should not restrict the drawing board to improving what already exists or incorporating new ways of learning. We should also consider bringing back what we have lost.

Hoon-Jung Kim '01 is a social studies concentrator in Leverett House. Her column appears on alternate Mondays.