Annotated Bibliography Example

Throughout the reading this week, the information presented in David Elliott and Bennett Reimer’s texts stressed the importance of music and more specifically, music education. “People everywhere find music rewarding, and everywhere we find people engaged in formal and non-formal efforts to teach and learn music.” (Elliott, 2014, p. 4)

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

In today’s school systems, art and music classes are not mandatory to be taught. This makes them very vulnerable to budget cuts in struggling schools. It is estimated that more than eighty percent of schools nationwide have experienced cuts to their budgets since 2008 (Metla). Every child in America deserves a complete education, and a complete education includes the arts. Due to budget cuts, many students do not receive instruction in art and music and therefore do not receive a full education. Music and art classes in schools are just as important as core classes and should not be subject to budget cuts.

One of the largest issues with fine arts implementation is the narrow effects. Garcia et. al conducted research that attempted to determine the effect fine arts have on standardized test scores. The researchers found that specific students attending schools with dense fine arts programs scored higher on the state standardized test; however, this improvement does not imply that fine arts will effectively cure the education decline. When analyzing the results, one sees that the fine arts mainly affect one group of students: at-risk students. The term “at-risk students” generally includes English Language Learners and low socioeconomic students. The research found that the at-risk students exposed to fine arts programs were more likely to have higher scores on the state standardized test specifically on the English Language Arts portion. This research suggests that if these at-risk students are exposed to the fine arts their test scores will increase on this specific portion of the test.

Schools with music programs have a higher estimated graduation rate estimated at 90.2% and a higher attendance rate around 93.9% (11 Facts about Music Education 7). In comparison, schools without music programs; however, average a72.9% graduation and an 84.9% attendance (11 Facts about Music Education 7). Additionally, students who study art are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and three times more likely to be awarded for school attendance than those who do not (11 Facts about Arts in Education 2). Despite the benefits of having a music and art program, they are often the first things to go when a school starts budget cuts. Due to, schools today focusing on four main core values: Math, Science, English, and History. Consequently, by focusing on these four main core values schools are crushing the creativity of students. Ken Robinson successfully argues this viewpoint in his TED Talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” By enthralling the audience with humorous rhetorical questions, creating connections with the audience through logical and relatable examples, and by keeping a fairly concerned tone throughout his speech to convey the urgency of the issue at hand Robinson effectively and subtlety attacks the modern world’s education system while at the same time informing his audience how schools are squandering the creativity of their students

The decline in music education programs in public schools is a result of budget cuts is becoming more visible. State-level arts spending has dropped from $409 million in the fiscal year 2002 to $354.5 million in the fiscal year 2003, and declined again to $272.4 million in 2004 (“Quick Facts”). It is clearly

Much too often in America today, modern music and art programs in schools are perceived to many as extracurricular activities rather than important subjects that are vital to a students learning and skill development. The truth of the matter is that encouraging music and art education in public schools has a much larger impact on student’s grades, academic performance, and the economy than the majority people realize. Within the next year city school budgets will be dropping by twenty five percent, and despite the fact that music and art programs have been showing a dramatic contribution to student’s learning, this substantial drop in funding for the programs will lead to no dedicated money for art or music programs (Mezzacappa). There is

“And now, the act of a lifetime. Here to sing the National Anthem…. Wait, I have just been informed that she will be reciting the prime numbers instead. Here you go, Lady Numba.” He whispers to his co-worker, “I could have sworn her name was Lady Gaga. Oh, the cut arts programs. That makes sense.” Schools globally are having to cut music and arts programs because they don’t have enough fundings. Imagine band concerts, musicals, plays, or any performances in general being nonexistent. Critics argue that common core subjects are more important and offer better things to kids that the arts, but these programs should not be affected by budget cuts. They make an impact on the community and children thrive off of them more than the common core subjects.

Most people would agree that music and art programs in schools have a huge impact on students not only academically, but in just about every aspect of their lives. Studies have shown that students who are involved in music and art programs have an overall higher IQ and show signs of many other academic benefits. Participating in such programs also allow students the opportunity to express themselves artistically and show the world their perhaps otherwise hidden potential. We all know how fun it can be to show the world your unexpected abilities, and what better way to show those off than the place where we spend most of our day-to-day lives? Unfortunately, even with all these obvious benefits, when the school budget is short, the first

Historically, there has been a debate among educators and researchers whether music education plays a significant role in a child’s brain development, intelligence quotient, social development and overall success in life. Many believe the data has been unreliable because there is little to prove with absolute certainty that those who participate in music education were not just born smarter. On the other hand, substantial data has been collected in recent years that seems to clear up those questions of doubt. As America’s children continue to show a significant drop in their annual test scores, while simultaneously demonstrating worsened behavior in school, answers are being sought from many angles. “Suggested reasons for the deteriorating behavior include a lack of boundaries at home, attention-seeking, an absence of positive role models at home, low self-esteem and family breakdown.” (Townsend, 2013) While there are many contributing factors to these heart-breaking realities, I will present how simply providing regular music lessons can be pivotal for a child. The diminishing importance our culture is placing on the benefits of music education is impacting our nation’s children by limiting their potential in academic achievement, social development, and overall well-being, but we can resolve this problem in part by raising awareness about this vital issue.

Around the country, children of all ages are interacting with music, either through listening or through instruction. Many parents believe that children should learn an instrument or to sing in order to be more cultured and well-rounded, aiding in their future endeavors. However, there is much more to music than culture. Studies have shown that students who are involved in a music program at a school or take private lessons are more likely to achieve higher on standardized tests and have higher IQ scores. They also show that young students who take music classes develop language skills and recall information better than their non-musical counterparts. Music education, therefore, is extremely beneficial to our world’s youth. Music

Studies show students who are educated in and/or have taken music classes have better performance levels in school, especially in math and reading. Normally, music and art classes aren’t valued as much as core classes corresponding to mathematics, literature, or science. Art and music education prepares students with skills needed in the career field of their choice (Facts 1-3). Music is one of the world’s greatest economic imports, whether it be instruments or songs being bought on iTunes. Music training can improve people’s motor and reasoning skills. Children who have had over three or more years of musical instrument lessons performed better than those who have not in their abilities to determine differences in sounds and in their fine motor skills. The value of music education in children has been studied for decades. Because the early ages of development within a child’s life are the most important, music education has been proven to enhance a child’s learning ability. Music has a positive influence on behavior, proves better performance in academics and education, and helps with child development.

Musical education is an important subject that is commonly overlooked and provides many benefits to children who study it. In chapter 1 titled, “Music and the Child - Why Music?”, there are many pieces of evidence pulled from different researches that suggest that musical education needs to be implemented into schools as a core subject. In 1999, Texas State University conducted a research study that provided evidence that studying piano can be connected to improvements in many core subjects such as math, science, and language. In addition, multiple other studies conducted by the University of Toronto and the Psychology Department at Stanford showed evidence that the study of music is capable of improving a child’s reading and language skills (Music and the Child). Overall, musical education has a large positive impact on a child’s education by providing them with skills that can better their performance in multiple areas of study. In chapter 1, I found the fourth bullet point on page 2.2 to be the most interesting. It states that music can improve a student’s self-esteem and confidence. I would have never guessed that music can have that kind of impact on a student. This fact is also very interesting because a student that is confident in himself may also be more likely to participate and be more involved in class. I found the sixth bullet point as the least interesting out of all seven. It states that music can benefit an above average student by providing them with more

The government’s cuts on performing arts seemed to be holding no such devastating impact on certain supporters. Richard E. Klinedinst conducted an experiment that was to be supporting his claim that playing an instrument would not have a

In advocating music education in today's schools systems, it is tempting to focus only on the non-musical benefits because of the shift toward the Common Core and raised test scores. However in doing so, we devalue music in and of itself. In the text Foundations of Music