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Austin Trinh
DeBock
Block 2
March 10, 2015
Add Some Flavor to Public Education with Music
Everyone hates to do the same thing over and over again. This is especially true when
there is not a single thing that one can enjoy or use to add a little extra to ones daily routine. The
same can also be said about education. Many students lose motivation when they get bored with
the same bland and tasteless studies every day, lowering their performance in class. Music adds
diversity to a students education and having a diverse education leads to a superfluous
performance in a students studies leading to a better understanding of other subjects.
When a student learns about music and how to play music, that student does not only
learn about music but instead that student also learns about other subjects too. Music has been
proven to improve the knowledge and understanding of concepts in other subjects particularly
math and science (Flaherty). Music can also help a student learn about certain time periods and
cultures throughout history (Overland). Music and the history of human cultures are intertwined
together. Every culture always has their own style of music and sometimes even their own
instruments. If one looks at the cultures of each civilization and what those civilizations are
going through, it can be vividly seen that the style and sound of the music will also go along with
the history of that civilization. Allowing students to learn about the music of a civilization tends
to help them understand it better since students often have a greater emotional connection to

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music. This allows the students to understand the lesson more since they are able to make their
own conclusions based on their own individual style of learning. Therefore, learning about music
will often times help students to understand the cultures of other countries and civilizations.
Numerous amounts of students fail to perform at the best of their abilities. There are
many reasons for the inability to excel at the rate they could be or should be accelerating.
Students do not excel at the rates they should be for many reasons but most of the reasons are
because of social and emotional issues (Trpanier). The social and emotional issues are that some
students have low self-esteems, are uncomfortable in their environment, or do not feel included.
Although music is a great way to get rid of these barriers that hold students back from achieving
at their personal best. Being a part of a musical ensemble allows a student to be around like
minded people, creating a more comfortable environment. It also enables a student to be a part of
something and being able to contribute something of their own to the group helps the student
gain self-esteem and confidence within him or herself, and increases the students feeling of selfinclusion (Kokotsaki and Hallam). Playing music also gives a little more dazzle to a students
education; it creates diversity. Adding music to a students education is the equivalent of a chef
adding spices to an entree, a chef does this to add flavor and overall improve the dish for the
better. Having a diverse or spiced up education tends to lead to higher performances in
schools. A higher performance rate will then lead to a higher graduation rate and then because
most colleges look for students who have a diverse education, it will also lead to a greater
percentage of students attending colleges after high school (Flaherty).
Music does not only increase performance in school because of a greater emotional
connection; music also enhances the brain. Learning to play music helps students by improving
their concentration, focus, and memory. BBC News author even states that partaking in music

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lessons continuously enhances the brain's ability to read and react to sounds ("Music Lessons
Can Close Reading Gap"). Music is helpful to students especially at the younger ages because it
can help students who are struggling to develop reading and language skills. Nina Kraus, PhD, a
neurobiologist at Northwestern University even concludes this as she says we are finding that
musical training can alter the nervous system to create a better learner. Teaching music to
students is not only helpful to students at a disadvantage but it can also be used to help all
students in general.
Music adds diversity to a students education and having a diverse education leads to a
superfluous performance in a students studies leading to a better understanding of other subjects.
It helps the student enjoy learning more and not only that but even life. John Keating once said
We dont read and write poetry because its cute. We read and write poetry because we are
members of the human. And the human race is filled with passion. These words stand true not
only for poetry but also for music as the two go hand in hand together. This is important because
if we want students to want to learn and perform at their best in the classroom, we should
continue to allow students to learn how to play music.

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Works Cited
Flaherty, Colleen. "Kids Not Cuts: First-to-go Programs May Struggle to Survive." Education
Votes. NEA Today, 21 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Kokotsaki, Dimitra, and Hallam, Susan. "The Perceived Benefits of Participative Music Making
For Non-Music University Students: A Comparison With Music Students." Music
Education Research 13.2 (2011): 149-172. Professional Development Collection. Web.
10 Mar. 2015.
Kraus, Nina, and Margaret Martin. "Musical Training Offsets Some Academic Achievement
Gaps, Research Says." Http://www.apa.org. American Psychology Association, 8 Aug.
2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
"Music Lessons Can Close Reading Gap." BBC News. BBC News, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Mar.
2015.
Overland, Corin T. "Integrated Arts Teaching: What Does It Mean For Music Education?." Music
Educators Journal 100.2 (2013): 31. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Trpanier, Celi. "A Gifted Child Checklist for Teachers." Crushing Tall Poppies. Crushing Tall
Poppies, 9 June 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.