Music education has been a part of schooling since the beginning. Courses such as band, orchestra, chorus, and even some forms of music theory have been taught at just about every level. Many believe that music, when taught correctly at young age, can have a positive impact on student's development. With an abundance of research to go along with these claims, many believe that music education is an essential part of a school's curriculum. However, in recent years, the pros do not outweigh the cons for some administrators and superintendents. In many cases, schools have removed music from their curriculums for a multitude of reasons, such as cost and test scores. Music educators in these situations are forced to lobby for music education in their districts in order to save their jobs and keep music in the schools. Music is an essential part of our society, and we must do what we can to save it. Music education is an important part of our school system and is a fundamental part of a child's development.

The question of whether or not to keep music education has not always been a problem. The recent push to remove it from schools is related to the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" Act. Tina Beveridge, professor of music at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, writes about the act and its relationship to music in her article entitled "No Child Left Behind and Fine Arts Classes". The act, which was passed to promote academic achievement of all students, inadvertently caused focus to move from non-core classes. Schools have begun to focus more and more on academics. While this is not a bad thing, it has negatively effected how fine arts classes, like music, are being treated. With a rising focus on test scores, music is not seen as a necessity or as important. That has proven to be the reason that many music programs will lose their funding and support, two things that these courses need to survive. The cost to maintain a music program is becoming a burden to many schools that no longer see it as an important part of their curriculum. When you pair a lack of financial support and relevance to the administrators, it isn't hard to see why music is making its way out of so many school's curriculums. In his article, "The Good News and Band News About Arts Education in US Schools", Tim Walker explains that a lack of financial support to music programs is causing some less fortunate students to lose contact with the art completely. UCLA music professor, James Catterall, describes this same problem in his article "The Consequences of Curtailing Music Education". Without access to music in school, less fortunate families would not be able to provide their children with music classes or private lessons. The students that have found music a their passion, would be getting it ripped away from them. This is when music educators are asked to come before administrators and prove why music is vital to a student's education. When the cons are stacked against them, what new information can they bring to the table? Many years of research has been done on the positive benefits of music education, and it could prove to be what administrators and superintendents need to know before getting rid of music in their schools.

There has been long thought that there is a correlation between music education and a student's success in other subjects. In fact, there have been hundreds of educational studies that have found that music can have positive benefits to a child's development. James Catterall argues that the "music boosts academics" debate has gained more ground after recent research. For one of the leading causes that remove music from schools to be that it hinders a student's ability to improve in other core subjects, it is interesting that the research has actual found the exact opposite. In the article "The Link Between Music and a Child's Math Abilities", Grace Chen argues that students involved with music score higher on standardized tests than students not taking music courses. Bob Bryant, Director of Fine Arts in Katy, Texas, writes about some of the additional benefits of music education, and other fine arts, in his article entitled "The Importance of Fine Arts Education". He explains that research suggests that when a student takes classes like music, theatre, dance, or visual arts, they will benefit in other areas such academic and social skills. Bryant is a music educator that has seen the evidence first hand. He explains that he has seen that students, who struggle to find success in core classes, will excel in fine arts courses. New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin explores this same topic in her article "Book Tackles Old Debate: Roll of Art in Schools". She also reviews the positive effects that fine arts classes, such as music, art, and drama, have on a student's development and improved understanding of other core subjects. Some educators have found success in using music as a learning tool. Many people have learned things like the alphabet or states by using a song, but we now know that it is easier to do this because music engages many different parts of the brain all at the same time. Anita Collins talks about how music can engage our brain in her TED Talk entitled "What If Every Child Had Access to Music Education from Birth?". She presents scientific evidence about the developmental effects that music has on a young child's brain. Collins says that music is unique in the way that it can exercise motor, hearing, and speaking skills all at the same time. No other activity has been found to have this effect on our brains. Because of the way that music can engage our brain, we are able to use it as a tool to enhance our learning abilities. Professor Richard Gill, Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony's Education Program and long time music educator, talks about music as a learning tool in his TED Talk "The Value of Music Education". He explains that music is the cause for the spark in our imagination and will help expand creativity. He also mentions that through singing, we can help engage children and teach them how to read, write, and analyze. Authors Andrea Creech and Susan Hallam explore this same topic in their eBook called "Music Education In The 21st Century In The United Kingdom". They account the relationship between music education and personal academic and social development in young children. In the first chapter of their book the author's introduce music as a teaching device for children, and explain it's effects on their development. They also go on to explain that music has been shown to improve literacy, numeracy, creativity, social skills, and even health. Music has been shown to make a lasting impact on people's lives because it was introduced at a developmental stage in their childhood. Tony Fowler, an author that works with music outreach and how music affects the communities around it, has gathered research from the US Department of Education. In his article, "Research Suggests Positive Impact of Music Education", Tony Fowler introduces a youth instrumental music program that was designed to give students access to music. The program, called "The Harmony Project", is a non-profit organization located in Los Angeles, California that provides musical opportunities to people of different cultures, religions, ages, affiliations, and orientations in order to build a sense of community. The Harmony Project paired with the Department of Education to research the claims being made about the positive benefits of music education. Their results run parallel with the majority of research that has been done on the link between music and educational development. Author Stephanie Pitts's has gathered qualitative research on the long term benefits that music education has on adults in her book "Chances And Choices: Exploring The Impact Of Music Education". Her book also accounts and assesses the beneficial roll that music education plays in the in someone's life after schooling. For some administrators and superintendents, evidence like this is not substantial enough to keep music as a part of their curriculum. They refuse to acknowledge the cognitive benefits of music education or how it can unify a community.

Music has been known to do more than improve a student's math and reading scores. Music is known to be a unifying force that can bring together some of the most diverse communities. Having music in our schools will insure that it will be a part of our society. Programs like Los Angeles's Harmony Project has built their foundation for their organization using the diverse community that surrounds them. By providing a musical outlet to all ages, they unite multiple generations through the power of music. By allowing people from all ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations to have a place where they can come together and experience music, The Harmony Project manages to bring together one of America's largest and most diverse communities. There isn't an activity or event that can do this better than music. Karl Glenn, professor of music education at Arizona State University explains this same situation in his article "The Many Benefits Of Music Education: Now And In The Future".  In his article, he explains that music can fulfill many different rolls within a society. He argues that, through music, we are able to expand our cultural diversity. A mission accomplished by educating youth through school music programs and organizations like The Harmony Project. Glenn says that when we live in such multicultural and multiethnic society, it is important to have something as significant as music in common with each other. He also goes on to mention that music is essential to our education and that it has the capability of reaching at risk youth. Music has been proven to help less fortunate students or students that have been effected by crime, drugs, violence, and poverty. In James Catterall's article "The Consequences of Curtailing Music Education", he explains why these students could be affected most by losing music. Less fortunate kids only have access to music in a school classroom setting. If schools begin removing music education from their curriculum, we will begin to lose more and more youth to crime, drugs, or violence. By keeping music in our schools, we could keep kids off the street and in turn create a better community for them to live in. Imagine if everyone had access to music education. Society would be more educated and accepting. Universal music education is a topic that Anita Collins talks about in her TED Talk "What If Every Child Had Access to Music Education from Birth?". She explains that if just one entire generation had access to music education, that the world could be a better place. When you consider the research that is presented by many different types of music educators and physiologists, you can see that this fictional generation has the potential to be much more intelligent at a younger age. This generation would be more literate and have higher math proficiency than other generations. They would be more sociable and creative than the children without access to music. They would even have the potential to be a healthier generation, with a chance to live longer. The society around them would improve as a whole because of their presence within it. Their community would be sociable and friendly to all, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. This generation could go on to have some of the world's greatest leaders, speakers, and inventors. Global music education could prove to be a great success, if we can attain it.

Unfortunately, to most leaders, principals, administrators, and superintendents, music is not seen as an important or essential part of our education system. Due to reasons that can be traced back to acts like the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" Act, music has been phased out of importance or out of curriculums completely. Priority in most schools is based solely on core classes such as Math, English, History, or Science. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it does keep schools from having well-rounded students that excel in academics as well as in electives like fine arts courses. Most decision makers in schools are uninformed of the positive benefits that music can bring to individual students, the school, and the surrounding community. This uniformed point of view on music is what ends up being the reason that schools and students will lose their access to music. There are a few points that matter to administrators and superintendents when it comes time for them to do their decision-making. They first want to know if this course is detracting from academics. This is an important issue and a serious concern to those in charge of our school systems. As it should be, the grades and academic improvement of each individual student should be important to educators at every level. On the surface, music looks like activity that isn't benefiting a student's academic improvement. To an administrator, this means that this activity must be detracting from their student's academics. From the research presented, we can see that it is actually the exact opposite. Those students involved with music and other fine arts courses tend to better in their core classes and even score higher on standardized test than students not involved with music. Music is also proven to improve characteristics that core classes cannot, such as social skills and even health. Music has been able reach kids that have been affected by crime and violence, something that math and English is not able to do. Music does not detract from a student's academics, but it actually improves their skills and allows them to become better learners. Another issue that is important to school administrators is the cost of the course. This is another serious concern that is a huge part of the decision making process. If a school does not have the funds to support the class, they have to rearrange their priorities or cut the program. Music can prove to be an expensive entity to start and upkeep in a school setting. The cost of chairs, music stands, instruments, and other music equipment can add up to a lot of money. Not to mention the salary of a properly trained music educator. To a school board, the expenses can look intimidating. But schools should really weigh the pros and cons of a music program. While yes, music does cost more than a Math or English class, it can provide students with a unique experience that they otherwise would not be able to attain outside of a school setting.

Healthy music programs are becoming harder in harder to find in our school systems. In a majority of districts, programs can be found on their last breath or sometimes not found at all. With research turning up the multitude of benefits that come with music education, we must do our best to inform our decision makers and get music thriving in our schools again. All students have the right to music, and if we make the most of it, our society could become a much better place.

