MUSIC AND THE PERFORMING ARTS
Learning to the rhythm of life I
n the first of two features this month on music and the performing arts in the UK education system, Louise and Noam Lederman, authors of the Jungle Jam series of books, offer their thoughts on the current state of music in the curriculum, and suggest some practical remedies for teachers looking to bring music into the classroom. Throughout numerous, continual budget cuts to the UK’s education sector there has remained a subject proven consistently to benefit every student, improving grades and scores, providing the ability for students to form long-lasting friendships while taking on a hobby that instils discipline and confidence… and that subject is music.
The landscape of musical education today looks bleak. For years, music classes have been viewed as the ugly ducklings of the school curriculum. Creative subjects such as music, drama and now even art have now been consistently pushed aside in favour of more academically inclined subjects that reflect positively on the school. In order to promote Ebacc scores English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language are now required for all students, resulting in a drop in uptake of other non-technical areas of study. With Ofsted a
continuous omen on the horizon, most schools are now unwilling to place an onus on creative arts knowing this could result in a poor rating or even special measures should the core subjects suffer.
This year, The National Audit Office (NAO) warned that £3bn in savings is required by 2019- 20 within schools, yet the Government argues that school funding is at its highest ever. Subjects are cut from the curriculum annually, either as a result of lack in uptake, funding cuts or simply a lack of teaching staff.
In this regard, musical education has always taken a back seat in favour of traditionally academic classes, despite numerous reports detailing the benefits provided by musical tuition and even theoretical study. Given the impact offered by these creative arts, there is a strong argument in favour of adding music education as a required component in all schools.
The need to ‘protect’ music in schools Despite the constant pressure on these creative arts courses, musical education and other expressive forms of study have been proven to enhance the performance and understanding of students in other subjects. During a child’s youngest years, nursery rhymes encourage speech
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and word play, while when music continues to intertwine itself in the education journey, research suggests a common result. Over a ten-year study, looking at 25,000 students, overall those participating in musical study scored 63 points higher on verbal tests and 44 points higher on maths tests.
If schools continue to dismiss music classes as part of their curriculum it will be a mistake. Not only are students missing out on an enjoyable subject, but it can also enrich their lives and education.
The prime benefits pupils gain from music in school are: • Linguistics and critical thinking – the science behind both sides of the brain has been long explored. The left side handles logic, such as in science and mathematics, while the right side is more creative, taking care of critical thinking, language and music. An early introduction to musical study will also help boost performance in theory-based academic subjects.
• Dedication – learning to play an instrument or read sheet music isn’t easy, and many of us will have old acoustic guitars hidden away somewhere as a remnant of our attempts to learn them. By starting early, students who play an instrument will have a sense of the
November 2017
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