The Argument for Music Education

Music plays an integral part in our lives. It fills us in all the places we’re hollow and cheers us up in gloomy times. It’s just so powerful and is a beautiful gift to mankind. However, just like any art, it has been suppressed and not all skilled and brilliant minds have access to music education and the entire focus of today’s generation is on MBAs and engineering courses.

By depriving students of music education, many initiatives that could help kids walk the straight and narrow are being rendered null and void. Here are the hard efforts and research that has been poured in to argue the case of making music education openly and freely available:

Research on music improving brain neuroplasticity

In pursuit of normalizing music education as a standard for all schools from elementary to high school, research has been dedicated to identifying scientific benefits. The findings thereof include that music improves your memory by improving the brain’s neuroplasticity. By learning how to play musical instrument notes in different songs, the brain is trained on how to connect pre-existing information with new knowledge. 

According to academic experts at uk.bestessays.com, as a result, new things being learned can be grasped and understood with greater ease as opposed to a brain with lower neuroplasticity. Subsequently, skills development becomes easier with an advanced thinking process brought to effect by the brain’s improved neuroplasticity. Another byproduct of this is that kids that are still studying will do better in school.

Reducing school dropout rates

An indirect benefit of music education is reducing the school dropout rates and the reason is two-fold. The first one being, school dropouts leave school because of feelings of inadequacy. Due to low grades, they might feel out of place and resort to dropping out because of being discouraged. With improved grades and better participation at school, the dropout rates can significantly decrease. 

All of this can be made possible by normalizing music education across all levels of basic education. The second reason is that dropouts are either inspired by wrong friends in the community or drugs. Associating with a wholesome group such as an orchestra from a young age can prevent that from happening. Although it will not completely eliminate the dropout rate, it can make a huge dent in it.

Flattening the curve of crime stats

Crime has become a serious problem globally and mostly, it is due to unemployment, affiliation, and exposure to gangs and drugs. Music education can help reduce these high crime rates by filling the minds of students with creative ways and the best of them is music. They can monetize music and plan to build a career in music by pursuing different facets of this field. 

For example, they can either be pianists, drummists, guitarists or focus on music production. The possibilities are endless with music and this industry seems to be the gift that keeps on giving economically. Also, by taking kids off the street, chances of being lured into a life of crime will be limited and that leads to a flattened curve.

Aiding in child development

There has been some research that proved that child development can be significantly impacted by exposure to music. This is an added benefit on top of the improved neuroplasticity but focuses more on the traits and attributes of the child. For example, a child with inherited mental disorders can manage them better by using music as an escape. 

How? Children can learn how to express their feelings through music and have a soothing reprieve when the world feels like it is on their shoulders. That can also help children learn and adopt virtuous traits that impact their life skills and how they coexist with other individuals. Essentially, the child will be ready for the real world much sooner.

Is the investment worth the outcome?

Undoubtedly, a massive amount of investment may need to be thrown into a project of this scope and this begs the question. Is the investment really worth the outcome? If you are looking at an immediate gain, the investment might look absurd and unjustified. 

However, peering into the future with all the socio-economic benefits and psychological gain, this investment is totally worth it. Music education is not just an extracurricular activity but can change and shape the lives of its recipients. Therefore, without a shadow of a doubt, the investment is worth every penny contributed towards it. The investment can also repay itself to the economy in the long run.

The bottom line

Music education has been debated for the longest time without reaching a consensus. However, when looking at fact-based research, investing in such an activity makes total sense. Not only does it make sense but it can pay itself back to the economy as time goes on. Music plays an important role in child development and neurological growth, which is why the long-term benefits are well worth it.

Justin Osborne is a essay writer, he loves to share his thoughts and opinions about education, writing and blogging with other people on different blogs and forums. Currently, he is working as a content marketer at uk.bestessays.com.