The American culture is very visual. Everything has to look good before we even consider dealing with it. All our food has to be perfect and pristine, while we judge our peers based on the same standards. What do you see in the picture above? I see many things, the blending of age, the mingling of races, and the shared joy between the two of them. Music education is so important today, not just to become educated in the arts, but because it has so much to offer in so many other ways. Less than one-hundred years ago our country was segregated by race, gender, and social standing. Through music, the citizens of America have been able to overcome such obstacles.
In the photo there is a white teacher and a Korean, or Asian young girl. The two people are able to overcome their minor differences and work together to accomplish something truly magnificent. Both the student and the teacher are smiling, so they are obviously having fun together. And why shouldn’t they? The two are bonding together as human beings, on a subject that is known throughout the world.
The photo seems to be faded around the edges of the picture for extra effect. The faded effect makes me think of a home picture album, or a well worn photo. Whether with a purpose in mind, or just the idea of visual effect, the fading makes the photo seem unrealistic as well as portraying the photo as calm and celestial.
The photo contains a young girl, and a grown woman. This shows that through music, the “age barrier” is broken down and age no longer holds back communication between two people. Age is more like the essence of knowledge, knowledge that is meant to be passed down to the less learned.
So what is the main purpose of all these components? Mainly just to show how, in picture form, music education is so important. I could just tell you, give you the facts, but there’s proof that a lot of people learn better through the use of imagery. ( As Denis M. says, a writer for the Canadian journal of applied sport sciences, music helps with;
- Vividness. Better imagers learn better thus, it most probably will be necessary to instruct individuals how to perform imagery effectively. Mastery of an overt skill increases the vividness of imagery. That is why superior athletes can imagine their skills better than lesser individuals.
- Controllability. This is the capacity to generate persistent images. Without persistent images precise repetitions will not be possible and thus, learning would be retarded. Some forms of skill practice, for example those involved in karate and shooting, require high levels of concentration which facilitates both image control and vividness.
- Exactness of reference. The event has to be accurately represented for the effects of the mental activity to transfer beneficially to the real-life situation. Research has shown that practicing the wrong images (errors) produces a tendency to perform those errors.)
Music education, as I have said many times before, is the middle ground. Music education is the way to bring people of all different colors, sizes, genders, races together as one people. This statement is proved once again as General H. Norman talks about his experiences with music education; “During the Gulf War, the few opportunities I had for relaxation I always listened to music, and it brought me great peace of mind. I have shared my love of music with people throughout this world, while listening to the drums and special instruments of the Far East, Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far North, and all of this started with the music appreciation course that I was taught in a third-grade elementary class in Princeton, New Jersey. What a tragedy it would be if we lived in a world where music was not taught to children.” No matter what it takes, I am willing to use every source available to convey to the readers the true importance of music education.
photo 1: http://www.amef.ca/assets/SiteEngineManager/teacher.gif
citation 1: http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/csa/vol26/denis2.htm
citation 2: http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/toptenquotes.html
Bravo. So many people benefit from music. And so much research shows it’s benefits. Yet it ’s the first thing to be cut in schools.
Spread the word; music is brain power.