CME Unit 1.1: Why Music is Important to Children and Young People
Introduction
Our lives are full of music. It is important to us, right from an early age, and our lives can clearly be enriched further by it if we so choose.
This essay focuses on the role of music in our lives: Firstly, why children and young people value it. Then how music education can help children develop their skills, knowledge, and existing musical affinities. Next, why music and musical learning are important for children and young people to participate in. Finally, an overview of the reasons music education and participation is beneficial for children and young people.
Criteria
Why do many children and young people value music (criteria 1.1.1)?
Music is Fun
The main reason children and young people value music is because they enjoy how it makes them feel. Research conducted by Salimpoor et al. (2011) concluded that, “Music, an abstract stimulus, can arouse feelings of euphoria and craving, similar to tangible rewards that involve the striatal dopaminergic system [reward system].” Music can be used to make us happier human beings, and thus is valuable.
Music is Mood Changing
Music can be used to change moods, and help cope with unpleasant emotions. Williamson (2014) writes “Music helps with mood regulation by stimulating physical behaviours that have a positive effect on a person’s ability to regulate how they feel”. (p.61) Children are often seen dancing to music, or moving to it when they hear it from an early age, and when asked, will ascribe emotional characteristics to music they hear. In my own lessons I’ve asked very young students to play happy, sad or angry music, and they naturally vary tempo, pitch, and rhythm to express these emotions, without any direction from me. It is clear that they are able to easily identify with different emotional qualities of music.
How music education can help children and young people develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of music to enhance their existing musical affinities. (1.1.2)
Music education can broaden young people’s perspectives on music, and enhance their listening abilities, which in turn can lead to them enjoying a greater range of musical styles.
Exposure to New Kinds of Music
It is important for children and young people to be exposed to, and educated on a variety of genres of music, as it presents them with music they may enjoy, increases their perceptions of musical possibilities, and increases cultural and historical knowledge. Music lessons are often the only way that young people are exposed to different kinds of music, as a lot of genres are not played on commercial radio, or listened to by parents. A survey carried out by the Readers Digest (2010) found that one in three people has never listened to classical music in Britain, and only 59% owned a classical music CD. In my own music lessons I have presented pupils with a range of historic and culturally diverse styles. If they find something that interests them we explore that style, or composer in greater depth. This allows them to explore and understand music broadly, and spend time with music that brings them enjoyment.
Appreciation Through Analysis
Music education can broaden young people’s perspectives on music, which enhances their appreciation of different styles. Education can do this by teaching pupils analytical skills that can help them understand how music is created, structured, and what composers intend to accomplish through their pieces. These skills allow pupils to increase their understanding of a piece, and thus appreciate it more. An example would be a class analysing a fugue. It initially can sound confusing, but through analysis, pupils learn that it is made up of a subject and answer that are developed with interwoven parts. The originally intimidating piece has been taken apart and comprehended, and when put back together, can be understood, and appreciated more than before.
All Music Can Teach Concepts
Music educators can use pupils existing musical affinities to improve on their skills, knowledge and understanding, by using music they already enjoy to teach them essential musical concepts, such as rhythm, melody, pitch, harmony etc. Harris (2006) talks about ‘Simultaneous Learning’ (p.15-16) where a pieces ‘ingredients’ (concepts) are used in lessons to not only teach pieces, but the concepts individually so that they are applicable to pieces in the future. I’ve used this concept to use a pupil’s favourite pop song to introduce them to playing in a new key, or using a new rhythm value. This way they are learning useful and applicable concepts, which can improve their skills and musical understanding, all whilst playing music they enjoy.
Why is music and musical learning important for children and young people (1.2.1)?
A Sense of Accomplishment
Children and young people who dedicate their time to learning to play a piece on an instrument find that with discipline, perseverance, and time, they can achieve things that they previously couldn’t do before, which in turn changes their self-perception to believe that they can accomplish difficult things. In my own lessons I’ve found that when pupils are able to play pieces they previously couldn’t it not only increases their confidence generally, but they are also more motivated to attempt other difficult tasks.
Self-Identity as a Musician
It is important for children and young people to have unique skills and interests that set them apart from others, as this will help them develop their own identity. Knowing that they have the ability to use their instrument to make music will put them in the unique category of “musician”, and become an interesting facet of their personality, which they themselves and others will value them for. I’ve found that creating the identity of my own students as ‘pianists’, by discussing how they can use music making and correct technique, helps foster confidence and interest in the instrument, as it helps distinguish them from feeling like ‘amateurs’ or ‘non-musicians’.
How can music and participation in music making benefit the whole child or young person (1.31 and 1.32)?
Music Making Skills Positively Impacting Other Skills
In her review of research, Hallam (2015) concludes that musical activity enhances:
These are all skills that will benefit children both in success in educational achievement, and success in their lives after.
Music Lessons and Groups Positively Impacting Skills
It is not just the music making itself that is beneficial. Hallam (2015) also identifies benefits with the social aspects of musical engagement, such as:
Even if young people do not continue playing music as adults, musical activities with lessons and groups is still beneficial in forming social skills that will enable students to co-operate, form friendships, work together, and have confidence in their own abilities. These skills are essential to success in adulthood, and the music lesson is fantastic for developing them.
Making their Own Music
It is one thing for a young person to realise that they can play music they like, but for them to create their own music is creatively liberating. Young people, especially teenagers, go to music for emotional exploration, and if they can create their own music, they can explore the sounds and the emotions it evokes in them. Good musical tuition should be geared towards giving students the skills to freely express themselves. I am often being presented with my student’s compositions, lots of which include something we have done before, but they have altered it. For example, I have one student who, once he has mastered the technical requirements for a piece, will enjoy creating his own versions of the piece with, for instance, rhythms often found in electronic dance music.
Conclusion
In conclusion, children and young people value music because it’s emotionally enjoyable. Music education is therefore valuable as it enhances musical understanding, presenting pupils with new music, analytical skills, and conceptual knowledge, that enriches their experiences of music. These skills give feelings of accomplishment and confidence in their musicianship, and which translate to other areas, such as increasing skills that contribute to academic, and career achievement, and social skills that help communication and relationship development. Finally, education gives creative freedom to pupils to use music to pursue their own ideas.
As a piano teacher, knowing why my pupils value music help me to understand their reasons for having lessons. This awareness will help me centre my lessons and teaching style towards them having fun with music, as well as improving their skills and knowledge. Knowing that I will be greatly contributing to their enjoyment of life, combined with increasing their academic and social skills, really emphasises for me the importance of teaching music!
Word Count (not including references): 1495
References
Books
Studies
http://www.classical-music.com/news/britain-land-without-music-knowledge
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