Music for Motivation
By Dreux Dougall
Staff Writer
Music programs in schools can help children learn and grow.
Staff Writer
Music programs in schools can help children learn and grow.
Although, music is not always considered a “real” subject, school districts in the Nassau County area are slowly developing more and more music programs. You can click here to see a list of schools that offer music programs in the area/
Nationwide, click here to see the schools that support VH1’s Save the Music campaign.
Statistics from the National Association for Music Education says, “In an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students, researchers found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.”
Students with more music abilities often excel. Participating in music programs helps many kids develop skills such as “critical thinking and self discipline skills” that improve their progress in school, Kathryn Vaughn, a UCLA-trained musicologist, says in a paper published in the Journal of Aesthetic Education, an academic publication.
Vaughn’s research on music and mathematics shows that students with more music abilities often excel. Many kids develop skills such as “critical thinking and self discipline skills” that improve their progress in school, Vaughn says
Anissa Gohenn-Hendricks, who created the Nassau Music Educator's Association, told Nassau News that the group seeks to support each child’s creativity as a vital aspect of their growth through music education. NMEA helps teachers refine their skills, and helps bring professional music to various schools as well as organizing festivals where students get on stage and perform.
In the Nassau News coverage area, music programs in schools can be a very positive catalyst for students, said Penelope Grover, the music choral teacher at the Waldorf School of Garden City.
“Kids are exposed to everything, that’s one of the problems,” she said. “ They’re not quite educated or exposed to enough classical music. All music is fabulous. When you sing in harmony, when you sing in four-[part] harmony, it’s a very healing process. If you learn to sing with a released free sound, that really can be healthy for the body and the mind. But all music plays a role in people’s lives.”
Playing in the band helps create a sense of “inclusion” for children, giving them a place to belong, even for children under the age of seven, said Eric Rizzo, the general music director at Marshall Elementary School, who teaches children ages five and six.
“At this age, children are definitely more impressionable, and the way that they had been taught was older in style, like opera etc.,” said Rizzo. “At this age, they need activities [where they are] moving, and [they need] fun, silly songs to make it stick. With this age group, they need exposure to different types of music and musical concepts.”
