By Dr. John R. Gerdy, Founder and Executive Director, Music For Everyone
An ongoing debate within the educational community relates to how to classify music programs within the academic curriculum. Specifically, whether music and the arts should be considered an extracurricular or core activity.
While some schools incorporate music as part of the general, core academic budget, most junior and high schools consider music an extracurricular activity. This is due to the notion that music is a nice, “add on” offering, but not necessarily critical from an academic standpoint. If this were not the case, why is it that when budget crises hit, decisions regarding which programs to downsize or eliminate always seem to focus on athletics, music, and arts programs?
However, when you consider the relative educational value and effectiveness of arts education, it’s clear that if utilized strategically, music can be the “glue” that holds the entire curriculum together. Music is math. Music is reading. Music is language. Music is science. Music is logic. And most important, music fosters creativity. In short, music’s value rests in its universality–its potential to link all the other core educational activities into a comprehensive educational experience. And as such, it should be the foundation of a well-rounded curriculum.
Music’s universality also places it in a unique position as a resource for community and societal impact and influence beyond the school walls. Similar to how music can be the glue of an educational curriculum, if utilized effectively, it can also be the glue that holds our communities and society together.
Consider the various positive community building outcomes that the arts can produce. Obviously, community investment in music yields significant educational outcomes. Stated differently, every issue we face as a society, whether relating to health care, the environment, or global politics, in this increasingly fast-paced and interconnected world, is becoming more complex. And the only way we will be able to solve these increasingly complex challenges is to develop in our populace a corresponding increase in creativity; the ability to think outside the box. And the most powerful weapon in our educational and societal arsenal to teach and foster creativity is music and the arts.
But it goes beyond that. Every societal and cultural advancement throughout the history of mankind has been driven by an individual’s or group’s spark of creativity. From the “invention” of the wheel to discoveries in science, medicine, aviation, to name only a few, all started with a spark of creativity.
Creativity is literally the fuel that drives societal innovation and progress.
But that is simply the start. Music and the arts can also be an economic driver for communities. It’s no surprise that many communities have invested in the arts as a key resource to create economic vitality, many to great success.
Further, there is an increasing amount of research, writing, experimentation and application of the arts as an individual therapeutic and public health tool. Music’s power and potential to uplift and inspire as well as to calm and soothe has existed for as long as it has been played. And scientists, researchers and medical practitioners are discovering and developing additional ways to utilize music for healing virtually every day, from managing pain, addiction and PTSD, to treating dementia, depression, and anxiety to improving motor coordination in people suffering from cerebral palsy.
Music has also been a powerful platform to frame, highlight and spur change regarding issues relating to social justice and human rights. While we all have a responsibility to “bear witness” to the events in the world around us, for musicians and artists, that responsibility is far more fundamental. It is the essence of what they do. As legendary musician and activist Nina Simone said, “You can’t help it. An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.”
Finally, the act of engaging in listening, singing, or playing an instrument to learn, grow, or simply enjoy, whether alone or in a group, results in a more engaged and active populace.
So rather than thinking of music and the arts as an extra, a frill, or something nice to have, perhaps we should be thinking of the arts as the glue that holds our society and communities together because:
A more educated and creative populace equals a stronger community.
A more vibrant economy equals a stronger community.
A healthier populace equals a stronger community.
A more just society equals a stronger community.
A more engaged populace equals a stronger community.
Taken collectively, community investment in the arts is about leveraging their “connectivity” and universality to build community. In today’s increasingly fast paced, interconnected, yet increasingly polarized society, investment in school and community music programming is anything but an “extra” or a “frill”.
In these times, it is essential.
Dr. John Gerdy
Music For Everyone’s mission is to cultivate the power of music to transform lives and communities in Lancaster County, PA. Since 2006, MFE has invested almost $4.5 million in school and community music programs.
Dr. John Gerdy is founder of Music For Everyone (MusicForEveryone.org) and author of “Lights on Lancaster: How One American City Harnesses the Power of the Arts to Transform Communities.” He can be reached at JohnGerdy@aol.com.
