By: Kyle Fagan

Issue: The Importance of Music 

As public schools face annual budget cuts and struggle to find public funding in schools across the country, most districts have been forced to cut down on the funding that is received by Music programs. Despite research that provides the information on the correlation between being exposed to music education and learning an instrument, with increased testing results.

“A 2006 study published in the Journal of Research in Music Education found that in every standardized test subject and grade level tested, students who played musical instruments in high school outperformed those who didn’t play instruments.” [1]

In the past, music education programs were included in curriculums nationwide, however for the past 20 years programs in the local Eugene 4j school district have had Music Education programs decline in funding, that is until this year.[2] Moreover, popular studies conducted in the 1980’s and 1990’s conducted at Rowan University in New Jersey provide a correlation between music training and spatial reasoning in young children.[3]

The future of music education might just run parallel with the future of the United States of America. The increase demands of academic standards require a student to think imaginatively, yet resourcefully as the same time. The skills that are developed in the learning of an instrument are found to be beneficial in the classroom, as well. Lastly, in a 2005 Harris poll on the public’s opinion, 93% of Americans thought that arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children.[4]

[1] “Music on the Mend.” Music on the Mend. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

[2] “Music on the Mend.” Music on the Mend. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

[3] “A Research-based Program.” A Research-based Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

[4] “The Importance of Music.” Music Empowers. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.