Why Study Music?

While the ancient Greeks extolled only "Musika" (which to them, meant all of the Arts) as well as Physical Education as the two primary components of a proper, well rounded education for their posterity, the "modern" rationale in our public schools still remains centered about the three "R’s"... Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic, accompanied by the obligatory History and Physical Education courses required for the high school diploma. And in many school districts, the Arts and Humanities, particularly Music, are the first programs to give way to the heavy axe of budget cuts.

While the meaning of music may mean various things to each of us, there is certainly abundant common ground when it comes to the rewards of music education.

Music is Science. It is exact and specific; and it demands precise acoustics. A musical score is a chart or graph which indicates frequencies, amplitudes, timbres, melodies and harmonies all at once, and with exact control of the timing and duration of these events. Music is the fundamental application of the science of sound. It is a laboratory experiment and scientific discipline your child can perform at any time, safely, and without inordinate expense or costly equipment. Its rewards are immeasurable to both the performer and listener.

Music is Mathematics. It is rhythmically based on the subdivision of units of time into fractions, which, while calculated, must be performed spontaneously, not worked out on paper.

Music is a Foreign Language. Many musical terms are in Italian, German or French, and musical notation is certainly not English, but a highly sophisticated shorthand, with over 10 centuries of development, that uses symbols to represent ideas. The structure of a musical opus from note, phrase, period, section, movement to the total work is a parallel of such written language models as poetry, short stories and novels. The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language model in our world.

Music is History and Sociology. Music often reflects the environment and times of its creation, and the lives of its composers. In many instances even a specific country, philosophy, or ethnic essence is captured. Music is a virtual window through which the ear can perceive the past, present and even the future! And music brings diverse individuals together and teaches them to work as a society by giving the freedom of self expression, as in a solo, within the confines of an orderly, unified ensemble, with a common goal.

Music is all of these things and therefore may be used to introduce, exemplify and fortify many concepts in all of these diverse subject areas, but most of all Music is Art. It allows a human being to take all of these technically boring, but difficult concepts and use them to create emotion, the very core of human expression.