Investing in music education is vital because of the important life skills these classes teach students of all ages.
Music belongs to all of us. It is a part of who we are. Whether it’s the mother singing a nighttime lullaby to her child or the teacher using the lyrics of a song to help a student better understand their emotions, music matters in our daily lives. This is why investing in music education and the creative arts should be our highest priority.
Inside elementary and middle-school classrooms across the United States, music education provides the perfect laboratory for learning. A student who stands up to perform their very first solo builds a stronger sense of self-confidence. The group of students who worked together to compose their own song have learned the value of collaboration and teamwork. Studying the work of composers from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures celebrates diversity, history, and inclusion.
The elementary and middle-school students we teach today are the creative minds of tomorrow. Today’s students will eventually become productive, competitive, and compassionate members of society at large, which means that on a much more expansive level, the creative arts play a vital role in our nation’s health and collective wellbeing.
Like a pebble being dropped into a pond, music creates waves that can be felt by those on distant shores—not just in the classroom but far beyond, by everyone else in the larger community. Music belongs to all of us, and music benefits all of us.
Music education facilitates academic achievement, promotes social and academic growth, and paves the path for students of today to become productive workers of tomorrow.
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Written by Kristin Clark Taylor, Senior Advisor, QuaverEd
Kristin Clark Taylor is an award-winning author, journalist, and former White House communications strategist.
