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I believe music is an invaluable art form which presents participants with unique challenges and rewards.

Participation in musical ensembles demands dedication and consistency in order to excel. It takes practice and hard work to create something as powerful and beautiful as expertly-rendered music. Due to its particular challenges, participation in school music programs can reward students in unique ways. Music fosters creativity in those students who participate in its study. Studying music is a useful form of expression that is not commonly found in academic institutions except in the arts. Because it is a means of expressing the emotions of participating students, involvement in musical ensembles has the potential to act as a form of stress relief, which can help students maintain a stable mind and focus, as well as creating a motivation to excel. Regular exposure to music in a school setting can, most of all, create well-rounded individuals who are not only capable of great intellectual feats, but also of great cultural creations that convey artistic beauty. Because music is such an important cultural resource, participation in music education programs in schools ought to be mandatory in the elementary level, and highly encouraged at the secondary level. An exposure to music, which is arguably one of the most powerful uniting forces in human society, is essential for a strong cultural grounding. However, because not all students are as deeply interested in musical study as others, there ought not to be required music courses at the secondary level, though involvement in music should still be encouraged because of the deep meaning and many benefits music. As valuable as participation in music can be, it does not necessarily follow that musically-inclined students must be involved in traditional ensembles. There ought to be alternative classessuch as music appreciation, world music, or recreational dancefor those who wish to participate in music without being involved in a traditional ensemble. Each music education program ought to start with the basic experience of music. As children learn best by experience, elementary students should first be introduced to a wide range of musical opportunities. As students approach the secondary level, however, theory ought to be introduced in order to better enable students to become musically literate. In school ensembles, there ought to be an emphasis on technique as it applies to each individual instrument or voice. Another set of skills that ought to be a part of the school music curriculum are those which relate to practice, dedication, and enthusiasm. The idea of time management and consistency is important if students are going to excel in their chosen disciplines, in music and outside it. Aside from purely technical and performance-oriented lessons, each music education program should present information about the historical context and cultural relevance of music in general and specific pieces of study. Above all, music education programs should present to students the beauty and artistic value of music, and inspire them to make music a greater, more meaningful part of their lives. Music should be taught with emphasis on the methodical rehearsal process before the finished product. It is important to understand how to properly progress from sight reading a piece to performing a piece of art. Beginning at the intermediate level (perhaps at the beginning of ensemble involvement in middle school), students should be discouraged from learning by rote, because an essential part of the ensemble experience is to learn musical literacy. Performances, while they ought to be stressed as important, should not be presented to students as the end all, be all of music, but rather as an opportunity to share with others the beauty of the process of making and uniting under music. Music should be taught with an emphasis on literacy over perfection for, while the ultimate goal of musicians is a flawless performance, it is preferable to understand a piece fully than to play it superficially. Most importantly, music

should be taught with the additional goal of deriving pleasure from the music-making process. While students should perform with the idea of giving the very best of their effort and technical experience, it is important that they should enjoy being a part of something as culturally relevant and artistically beautiful as music.

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