Music Advocacy

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of musical education in public schools? For many, it’s the grating sound of a classroom full of children playing plastic recorders. The recorders themselves are useful tools: inexpensive, simple, and relatively easy-to-learn instruments that can get kids excited about making some noise. The problem lies in what happens after these students learn “Hot Cross Buns” and eventually return these recorders at the end of the year. For many, this limited experience represents the entirety of their musical education, even though a comprehensive musical education carries many cognitive benefits for children. Therefore, it is imperative to move beyond the perception of music as merely an extracurricular activity. Music classes are a necessary and irreplaceable part of education, and schools should recognize and treat it as such. 

In the New York City public education system, music classes are often absent. When funding gets tight, arts and music programs are the first to be cut, depriving students of an essential subject that offers profound benefits extending beyond learning to play an instrument or reading sheet music. A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that young children who took three 45-minute piano lessons per week demonstrated increased ability to differentiate spoken words over those who did not. Notably, these piano lessons were found to be as effective as giving children extra reading lessons. Moreover, musical education has been linked to cognitive benefits. ​​In a study conducted by the University of Toronto, six year-olds who were given 36 weeks of music lessons showed greater IQ increases than those who did not. These findings underscore music’s vital role in fostering cognitive development—equipping students with the mental tools needed for success in the classroom and beyond. Moreover, music can have positive effects on a child’s emotional outlook. A research article published in 2021 shows that music education had a positive impact on emotional perception and regulation, both of which are associated with emotional intelligence. Additionally, the article linked music education to enhanced mental health and social skills by reducing anxiety and depression while increasing empathy. Based on these conclusions, it is clear that exposure to music has strong benefits toward a child’s well-being and development. 

So what is the current state of musical education in the United States? According to the Arts Education Data Project (AEDP), 8.2 percent of students completely lack access to music education. Importantly, but not surprisingly, the AEDP report found that the students without access to the arts were typically living in major urban and underprivileged communities, and students who qualify for free or reduced lunch are twice as likely to be without music access as the national rate. Moreover, these same students were overwhelmingly Black, Hispanic, or Native American. These disparities are exacerbated by the fact that pursuing a musical education is expensive—buying an instrument, taking music lessons, and attending theory classes can be costly for students of low-income backgrounds. As a result, school is often the only place where they can play an instrument or learn about music. This makes it even more important that schools offer music classes, as some students may not have the chance to learn otherwise. 

While concerns about limited access to musical education may not seem relevant to Stuyvesant, the school has also recently made decisions that exhibit a disregard for the arts. Earlier this September, the administration made the decision to change the grading systems of music ensemble classes—including orchestra, chorus, and band—to pass-fail, meaning these courses would no longer be factored into students’ GPAs. Though it is indeed hard to put a numerical grade on a class that is creative and inherently subjective, making the ensemble courses pass-fail was not the best solution as it diminishes the amount of time and effort that students put into their instruments. By choosing to learn an instrument while attending such a rigorous school, students sacrifice valuable hours every day. This commitment is one that should be recognized, not penalized. However, giving credit where it’s due, about a week following this announcement, Principal Seung Yu listened to the voice of the students and reverted to the previous policy. Nevertheless, this reversal does not take away from the fact that it required a large petition signed by hundreds of students to change the administrators’ minds. Ultimately, Stuyvesant has demonstrated a need to take musical education more seriously by not marginalizing a subject that is highly beneficial.

Despite the numerous benefits of music education, some may raise valid concerns concerning funding. Schools with a tight budget often have to make the choice to defund the arts. Despite this, many schools are still able to run strong sports’ programs. Yet, why should sports’ programs be prioritized over music? Given that both are highly beneficial activities that can develop team bonding and the ability to hone a craft through practice, I would argue that music education has just as much of a right to be present in schools. The issue of inadequate funding is more a reflection on America’s worrying lack of funding on education than it is on the devaluation of the arts. Though it is true that there is generally less demand for music classes than there is for sports, I believe that this is mainly due to the lack of variety in music education. For instance, students might be more willing to take classes about genres and music from cultures beyond simply Western classical music.

Although music education holds many psychological benefits, it is important that we see the value in it for another reason: music is awesome. By extension, music education can be awesome. As a violin player, I strongly believe in the power of music—whether listening, playing, or learning—as an outlet. It can also be a way to find a community through connecting with people who have a similar passion for music. Just like English literature or the visual arts, music is a form of human expression. For one to take precedence over another is absurd, as they are all greatly beneficial to a person’s character development. As such, schools should be presenting opportunities for students to experience music as I and many others have experienced it.