Studies Correlate Music Education with Brain Development While Nashville Pioneers Progress

At a time when education costs are continually being cut and the accessibility of quality education is progressively dwindling, parents and educators are left confounded over a solution. A raise in taxes, cutting teacher salaries, hiring private tutors, and other programs might seem plausible on paper, but studies are beginning to reveal a more holistic remedy to the educational crisis in America, music. Researcher and neurobiologists have conducted studies proving the effectiveness of music education on cognitive function, critical thinking skills, and overall brain development. Leading the research is The Music Empowers Foundation. The Foundation has made huge strides in correlating music education with optimal brain performance and continues to target the resonating and beneficial impact music has on the brain

Supporting the conclusions of The Music Empowers Foundation are a plethora of schools implementing higher levels of music education to combat poor test scores. In Nashville, the Music Makes Us program raised $500,000 dollars in private donations to better music education with the belief that standardized tests are not the only indication of intelligence. This can be seen in the case of Memphis City Schools. Only ten percent of the community can actually afford to rent an instrument, but with the help of organizations such as the Save the Music Foundation contributing nearly $1 million over the last eight years, music has been accessible for all students. The result; recently the Memphis City Schools was awarded one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America for the fourth time by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation which further solidifies the transcending aspects of music.

It has been long accepted that classical music such as Mozart and Beethoven can help improve concentration skills and other cognitive abilities, but today this idea is being expanded to include a much more diverse field of musical study. In Nashville, with the help of the Obama Administrations “Race to the Top Competition,” and $500 million in grants given out across the country, music education is being expanded beyond classical, jazz, and blues. Many schools will begin incorporating classes in rapping and spinning. The idea is to encourage each student’s affinity towards music, regardless of the genre.

The ultimate goal is to get kids excited, learning, motivated, and provide them with a lifelong skill. The process of learning and creating music can transform the mind for the better. It can increase the likelihood of one’s success and can turn a troubled student into a savant. With education costs being cut rapidly and without a definitive end, it is more important than ever to contribute to the wellbeing and survival of music education today.

Fender Music Foundation

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