argumentative essay on music education

The Importance of Music in School Curriculum Essay

Music has been an integral part of education since time immemorial. The ancient Greeks considered teaching music just as important as teaching science. Students can benefit immensely from learning music, as it encourages creative and practical thinking. Of late, schools, responding to budgetary constraints have opted to remove music from the school’s curriculum. Such steps will only prove detrimental to the overall growth and personality development of the students. This essay attempts to explain the importance of music in the school curriculum.

The language of music is universal. It transcends language and cultural barriers and provides a common medium for people from different parts of the world to interact. One may not understand the lyrics, but if the melody or the musical composition appeals to one’s ears, it is liked and appreciated. Music helps students broaden their horizons, increase their general knowledge and develop an understanding of the world, people and cultures.

Learning music is not easy. It requires discipline, patience, and tenacity to succeed. All these qualities are required for the student to succeed later in life. Playing musical instruments develops hand-eye coordination and is especially useful if music is taught right from kindergarten. The other values, which learning music instills amongst children are cultural sensitivity, humility, and the need for continuous self-improvement. It is easier to teach kindergarten children through music. Young children pick up language, vocabulary, ideas, and concepts much more quickly when taught in a sing-along manner. Nursery rhymes are part of that form of teaching. However, the effect of music on the mind is much more than just ‘sing along’ techniques. It affects the student’s mental capabilities.

Teachers and scientists have observed that there seems to be a connection between music and mathematical abilities. (Beer 2 ) states that “ Research has proved that children playing piano often show improved reasoning skills like those applied in solving jigsaw puzzles, playing chess or conducting mathematical deductions”. Dickinson in her internet article “Music and the Mind” states that:

Recently some reports have appeared that attest to the connection between music and academic achievement. In a study of the ability of fourteen-year-old science students in seventeen countries, the top three countries were Hungary, the Netherlands, and Japan. All three include music throughout the curriculum from kindergarten through high school.

Dickinson further emphasizes in the same article that ” the schools who produced the highest academic achievement in the United States today are spending 20 to 30% of the day on the arts, with special emphasis on music”.

Not only does music seem to have a connection with improving mathematical ability, but it is also known to improve social skills and coping skills in individuals. Social skills improve because playing music in a band helps children learn about team effort. It helps them to realize that achieving a goal requires collaboration, adjustment, and accommodation with other individuals in the group. It helps build bonds and interpersonal relationships.

We all make good friends and some of those friendships carry on over a lifetime. Having music in the school curriculum also helps identify budding talent early. Many young musicians who played in school bands or choirs, later on, made a career out of music. These include not only musicians in the Pop and Rock genre, but also professionals in western classical music. Having music in the school curriculum gives the students a job avenue later on in life.

Music has therapeutic value. Many an introverted child has benefited by playing music in a school band, choir, or other forms of musical activity. Music also helps the hyperactive and the depressed. Melodious slow music has a calming, soothing effect and helps students get over the stresses of work. The number of studies that any child has to do has not decreased. The unrelenting pressure and high expectations of the parents require a safety valve. Music and other performing arts are just the right kinds of release. Children from broken homes have very low family ideals. Music helps them relate to others and builds ideas of companionship.

Places or localities where racial tensions have known to exist can find help through music. Since music knows no barriers, race relations improve. One example is “jammin’ or rap contests where children of different races pit their musical skills against each other instead of fighting with guns, knives, or bricks. It is well-known fact of speech therapy that group training sessions such as a choir can help a child with a minor speech disability overcome the problem.

Some schools even use music innovatively, such as combining music with the hitherto, considered boring lessons such as History and Geography. Musical lessons are easier to assimilate; after all, lyrics of favorite songs are easily remembered without really trying hard. The importance of music in special schools is even more accentuated as the therapeutic effect of music helps calm down special children.

Music also has an important role to play in strengthening religious beliefs and anchoring children’s faith in god. While in the United States, every citizen is free to practice their religion or even deny the existence of God, religious music and Sunday church choirs have an undeniable part to play in the overall development of a child. According to (Yount 2), “the study of the history of music (and particularly the music of the Christian era) can enhance our cultural identity as Christians”.

Schools and institutions have all understood the importance of music in a child’s development. Some bodies have even gone public to encourage schools to continue keeping music in their curriculum. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), on its website, states that “Providing an environment of acceptance for all students through music—even for one hour per day—is a first step toward connecting with students from all backgrounds and helping them to develop healthy life skills”. In the US, they are a powerful body that can influence authorities and school boards to desist from removing music out of the school curriculum and have made a significant contribution in making many a school changes their minds.

Music, therefore, plays an important role in the overall development of the students. Music helps young children learn vocabulary faster, has been shown to increase mathematical ability amongst those students who practice music, and has proved to be a useful team-building tool. Music helps students understand the world better. It helps them develop values such as hard work, patience, tenacity, humility, and self-discipline. Music is a stress buster and has a great therapeutic effect.

Schools that have persisted with music in their curriculum have shown better academic results. The introduction of music in the school curriculum has helped identify many a budding ‘Mozart’ thus helping students progress a musical career. Music in schools has helped bring down juvenile delinquencies by providing the students a medium to forget their differences and band together. The conclusion, therefore, is that music must continue to form part of every school’s curriculum and not be made a victim to budgetary constraints.

Works Cited

Beer, Michael. “How do Mathematics and Music Relate to Each Other”. 1998. Home page. Drexel University. Web.

Dickinson, Dee. “ Music and the Mind”. 1993. New Horizons. Web.

NAESP Website. “The Importance of Music Education in the Middle School Curriculum”. 2007. NAESP. Web.

Yount, Laura A. “The Importance of Music in the Christian Classical Curriculum”. 2004. Web.

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Education Music At School Argumentative Essay

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Children , Music , Development , Family , Students , Education , Life , Study

Published: 12/11/2019

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Among the various lessons taken at the schools include music and art. This provides an opportunity for the learners to develop their musical and artistry abilities as well as improve their creative capacities. However, there has been controversy over this subject where there have been recommendations that it should be scrapped from the syllabus. In fact, the budgets have been cut where less money is allocated to music studies. This controversial issue of scrapping music from the curriculum is the subject of this essay as it seeks to dissect the rational behind this move. This essay seeks to prove that music should remain a school subject.

First of all, this essay disagrees with the move to scrap music studies since it is a vocation like any other, and can be used by an individual to achieve economic stability. Similarly, music helps to discipline individuals so that they can become productive members of the society (Guth, 1). Therefore, depriving talented individuals the chance to develop their talent can be quite unfair to them. Therefore, the discipline should be promoted rather than put down,

Schools are supposed to nurture the talents and strengths that individuals have. Therefore, these institutions should be geared towards realizing the talents in the learners and nurturing these talents to maturity. Levy (1) observes that performance in music at school was much better than other subjects. This means that probably the individuals are more interested in musical studies. Therefore, rather than scraping it from the syllabus. It would be in the interests of the students if the subject is upheld. Otherwise, the education system would be held responsible for inhibiting the interests of the learners. Schools should not limit the scope of the learners. They should open up the avenues for them to achieve their dreams. As such, scrapping music studies is not a way of opening these channels, but it is a sure way of inhibiting the learners.

Children’s Music Workshop (1) observes that music is academic, physical, emotional and a lifetime affair. As such, when children are involved in musical activities, they benefit in all aspects of their lives. Eliminating music studies from the syllabus is therefore a way of limiting the children’s development activities. This should not be the case. If schools advocate for physical education and physical exercises, then there is no reason as to why music should be sidelined. After all, both do serve the same purpose in the lives of the learners. There is also a logical reason as to why music should be retained. If the famous celebrities and music idols never learnt something about music at school, then it not clear what kind music the world would be having today.

There is also the other side of music studies. In as much as it is important for the development of the students, musical information is available from various sources. Therefore, it does not have to be offered necessarily at school. The individuals can get musical information at home, through the internet, from the radios as well as the televisions. Furthermore, there are music schools that teach music as a profession. As such, it should be taken as a vocational training, not a school subject. Therefore, those interested in music can go through their foundation studies then proceed to take music later as their profession. This eliminates the need for having music as a school subject.

Works Cited

Children’s Music Workshop. Music. 2012. Web, March 12th 2012, http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/youngmind.html Guth, Patricia. The Importance of Music Education. 2012. Web, 12th March 2012, http://education.more4kids.info/23/the-importance-of-music-education/ Levy, Debra. The Importance of Music in Schools. 2010. Web, 12th March 2012, http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_14992491

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Music Argumentative Essay Topics: 25+ Ideas for Inspiration

by  Antony W

April 21, 2023

Music is no doubt the best go-to stress buster for all of us. No wonder if you look around you, you’ll see people listening to music from all kinds of music devices you can name.

From Mp3 players and smartphones to PA systems and car stereos, the world around you is no doubt almost fully musical in form.

With news lyrics, celebrity gossips, artists, and new musical hits appearing on YouTube, Sound Cloud, and Spotify every day, there’s no limit to the number of argumentative essay topics on music.

From Robert Matthew Van Winkle fast rap to Dax hip-hop tunes, finding the right essay topic to explore just got easier. In this post, we give you a list of 30+ argumentative topics from which you can choose an appealing title to give your essay a fresh, breathtaking spin.

Music Argumentative Essay Topics

The following is a list of 30+ music argumentative essay topics that you can consider if you have no idea where to start – or if you need a title to start working on right away:

• Is pop culture an evergreen vogue or a temporary fad?
• Can we term fusion music as actual music?
• White rappers are giving a bad name to the rap music genre
• Pop music is worthy enough for our ears than rap music
• Jazz music is dying out
• Can we use music as treatment for mental health disorder?
• Music influencers are a waste of time
• People should not allow the playing of music in the realm of politics and political campaign
• Digital music formats will completely wipe out physical copies from distribution
• It’s impossible to enjoy music without understanding the lyrics
• Metal music has a very bad influence on people’s behavior
• EMD is pure noise, not music
• One doesn’t need to have musical training to write lyrics and sing as natural talent is enough
• Should School students should study music instead of learning how to dance
• Is music an effective means of drawing in potential customers to a new product?
• Music has the power to increase an individual’s level of productivity
• Music isn’t as addictive as movies and television series
• Children can learn music faster than adults
• Music producers are not doing enough to promote musicians new to the industry
• Are parental warning labels on music videos really necessary?
• Music can’t affect a student’s ability to read and complete their homework
• Social media presence and celebrity stays hugely contributes to the rate of an artist’s success.
• Should companies incorporate music in their marketing campaigns?
• Existing laws cannot stop people from realistically copying music
• Music doesn’t help the world become a better place
• Do music award events influence the type of music that many people listen to?
• Music award shows create hostility among musicians more than they inspire creative art
• Music should be a mandatory subject in literary school
• Music producers are responsible for the moral degradation that stem from the production of explicit music
• Can the entertainment industry prevent
• Do certain genre of music, such as rap and hip-hop, generate violence?
• It’s unethical to copyright traditional music
• Can we borrow music from international artists without necessarily attributing their work?
• Should the social controversies about a musician influence our decision to listen to their music?
• Do musicians choose the genre of music depending on the instruments used?
• Movie and TV production industries pay musician more for continuous use of their work.
• Is music of the future generation will be more annoying than the current
• Music that’s used to present bad and harmful ideologies should be banned
• The advent of internet music has made physical music stores completely irrelevant
• Music can help a person to mediate and find a greater purpose in life
• Is listening to music more entertaining than watching movies or playing the 21st century video games?
• Music genre has a limited number of tune variation
• Is music without lyrics pure?
• Should YouTube ban the publication of X-rated music completely?
• Classical music is better than other music genres.
• Companies such as Spotify and Deezer should stop charging people a monthly subscription to listen to music.
• Offline music apps are a waste of time in the current internet-powered world.
• Are piano music sheets relevant in the production of modern music?
• Politicians use music as propaganda in political races.
• Music has a positive impact on modern society.
• Traditional old school music is better than modern music.
• The production of explicit music videos should banned.
• Is there a connection between different music genres?
• Classical music doesn’t play any significant role in the production of music today
• International music is better than local music
• Does the ability to play piano automatically makes one an expert in writing music sheets?
• There’s no connection between social class and music genre
• Does music have a negative influence on society?
• X-rated music has a negative effect on a listeners brain
• Music is way better than other types of media
• Music has more influence on culture than poetry does
• Is writing music an art?
• Writing music doesn’t reflect the way an artist thinks in their daily life
• Do women play an important role in the production of music?
• Women play a great role in the production of music
• Modern pop music is badly written compared to the pop music of the 60s.
• Celebrities who release music but have no musical talents should not be promoted to be as famous as professional musicians.
• Violent lyrics in music plays a role in building a violent society
• Are parental warning labels on music still relevant today?
• Music band that have been inactive for years should not come back

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Related Reading

• Technology Argumentative Essay Topics
• Argumentative Essay Topics on Racism
• Argumentative Essay Topics on Social Media

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Essay on Music for Students and Children

500+ words essay on music.

Music is a vital part of different moments of human life. It spreads happiness and joy in a person’s life. Music is the soul of life and gives immense peace to us. In the words of William Shakespeare, “If music is the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.” Thus, Music helps us in connecting with our souls or real self.

What is Music?

Music is a pleasant sound which is a combination of melodies and harmony and which soothes you. Music may also refer to the art of composing such pleasant sounds with the help of the various musical instruments. A person who knows music is a Musician.

The music consists of Sargam, Ragas, Taals, etc. Music is not only what is composed of men but also which exists in nature. Have you ever heard the sound of a waterfall or a flowing river ? Could you hear music there? Thus, everything in harmony has music. Here, I would like to quote a line by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest musicians, “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”

Importance of Music:

Music has great qualities of healing a person emotionally and mentally. Music is a form of meditation. While composing or listening music ones tends to forget all his worries, sorrows and pains. But, in order to appreciate good music, we need to cultivate our musical taste. It can be cited that in the Dwapar Yug, the Gopis would get mesmerized with the music that flowed from Lord Krishna’s flute. They would surrender themselves to Him. Also, the research has proved that the plants which hear the Music grow at a faster rate in comparison to the others.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Magical Powers of Music:

It has the power to cure diseases such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc. The power of Music can be testified by the legends about Tansen of his bringing the rains by singing Raag Megh Malhar and lighting lamps by Raga Deepak. It also helps in improving the concentration and is thus of great help to the students.

Conclusion:

Music is the essence of life. Everything that has rhythm has music. Our breathing also has a rhythm. Thus, we can say that there is music in every human being or a living creature. Music has the ability to convey all sorts of emotions to people. Music is also a very powerful means to connect with God. We can conclude that Music is the purest form of worship of God and to connect with our soul.

FAQs on Essay on Music:

Q.1. Why is Music known as the Universal Language?

Ans.1. Music is known as the Universal language because it knows no boundaries. It flows freely beyond the barriers of language, religion, country, etc. Anybody can enjoy music irrespective of his age.

Q.2. What are the various styles of Music in India?

Ans.2. India is a country of diversities. Thus, it has numerous styles of music. Some of them are Classical, Pop, Ghazals, Bhajans, Carnatic, Folk, Khyal, Thumri, Qawwali, Bhangra, Drupad, Dadra, Dhamar, Bandish, Baithak Gana, Sufi, Indo Jazz, Odissi, Tarana, Sugama Sangeet, Bhavageet, etc.

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Can music education boost grades, attendance? A new case study suggests it might

A new case study that included hundreds of Tennessee public schools suggests that music education may be tied to better math and reading scores, along with better attendance and positive social, emotional and behavioral effects.

The study, titled "Face the Music: A Case Study for Expanding Music and Arts in Schools," was the result of a joint effort between the CMA Foundation and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. It examined the challenges and benefits stemming from music and arts education across 589 schools and 23 districts in Tennessee, and also included feedback from music and arts teachers, students and lifelong learners.

“Music and arts education are playing a key role in helping students catch up after the pandemic, from helping with math and reading proficiency to coping with stress and trauma. The research is clear: arts and music classes are a must-have, not a nice-to-have," CMA Foundation Executive Director Tiffany Kerns said in a news release.

The foundations behind the study hope it will serve as a model for other states to boost music and arts education at the state and district level, along with gaining support from nonprofit organizations and philanthropy.

Here are key takeaways from the study.

Related: TN high school band gets surprise invite to perform at CMA Fest as director wins award

A connection between music, arts, math and reading

Data from the majority of districts in the study showed that students enrolled in music and arts programs demonstrated significantly higher proficiency rates in math and literacy. The majority of districts also saw better attendance rates from music and arts students, compared to schoolwide averages. These outcomes align with a handful of other studies. However, the case study report did note an important caveat: Most studies on music and arts participation don't prove it's the cause of improved academics.

Here's a look at the proficiency and attendance numbers the study revealed:

• Roughly 1-in-4 school districts reported 47% of students enrolled in music and arts programs showed reading proficiency, compared to an overall school average of 36%.
• Roughly 7-in-10 school districts reported 46% of students enrolled in music and arts programs excelled in math, compared to an overall school average of 35%.
• Roughly 3-in-4 districts reported increased attendance rates for students enrolled in music and arts programs. The study noted that schools where music and arts students outpaced the school average for attendance saw an average attendance boost of 12%.

Systemic barriers to music and arts education

The case study also outlined factors that hamper access to music and arts education for students and schools. They largely align with trends reported in the most recent National Arts Education Status Report and historical data from the Tennessee Arts Education Data Project, the study said.

The barriers for students identified in the study are:

• Participation requirements, including after-school attendance and prerequisites or auditions
• Housing insecurity
• Transportation challenges
• Participation fees
• Equipment costs

The study also showed that curriculum scheduling is a primary issue facing schools. That can disrupt the ability to offer sequential music and arts classes in every grade, allowing students to explore a variety of options and build upon their skills each year.

Recommendations for action

The study mapped out a series of recommendations for how everyone from parents and students to educators and lawmakers can take action to bolster music and arts education in Tennessee.

For school community members like parents, students and educators, that can range from simply attending music and arts events to show support to advocating for more funding for programs. The study also calls on school and state leaders to partner to fund music and arts education, train teachers and develop partnerships that help sustain those programs in schools. It also challenges philanthropic organizations to fund grants, promote advocacy and awareness and take other steps to partner with and support schools.

"Each of us can support a system of change to enhance music and arts education for a more well-rounded education for our students," the study stated.

A look at the demographics and schools

The demographics of the schools that participated were similar to the state of Tennessee as a whole, but they differed slightly when it came to the population of public school students statewide. Students in the study were:

• 16% Black or African American
• 9% Hispanic or Latino
• 2% other racial identities
• 24% socioeconomically disadvantaged
• 13% engaged in special education services
• 9% English language learners
• 2% experiencing homelessness or in foster care
• 1% identified as migrants or refugees

According to 2022-23 academic year data from the Tennessee Department of Education, here's how Tennessee schools demographics broke down:

• 24% Black and African American
• 14% Hispanic
• 3% other racial identities
• 30% economically disadvantaged
• 14% students with disabilities
• 8% English learners
• Less than 1% in foster care
• 2% experiencing homelessness
• Less than 1% identified as migrants

Here's the full list of districts that participated in the case study:

• Arlington Community Schools
• Bartlett City Schools
• Benton County Schools
• Chester County School District
• Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
• Coffee County School District
• Germantown Municipal School District
• Giles County School System
• Greene County Schools
• Hamilton County Schools
• Jackson-Madison County School District
• Knox County Schools
• Lincoln County Schools
• Marion County Schools
• Maury County Public Schools
• Metro Nashville Public Schools
• Paris Special School District
• Robertson County Schools
• Rutherford County Schools
• Tullahoma City Schools
• Weakley County Schools
• Williamson County School 
• Wilson County Schools

The CMA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association. More information, along with the foundation's extensive research and initiatives, can be found at cmafoundation.org . Learn more about the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation at mhopus.org .

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The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education

As funding for arts education declines worldwide, experts ponder what students — and the world at large — are losing in the process.

By Ginanne Brownell

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy.

Awuor Onguru says that if it were not for her continued exposure to arts education as a child, she never would have gotten into Yale University.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class family in Nairobi, Kenya, Ms. Onguru, now a 20-year-old junior majoring in English and French, started taking music lessons at the age of four. By 12, she was playing violin in the string quartet at her primary school, where every student was required to play an instrument. As a high school student on scholarship at the International School of Kenya, she was not only being taught Bach concertos, she also became part of Nairobi’s music scene, playing first violin in a number of local orchestras.

During her high school summer breaks, Ms. Onguru — who also has a strong interest in creative writing and poetry — went to the United States, attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts ’ creative writing camp, in Michigan, and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . Ms. Onguru, who recently returned to campus after helping organize Yale Glee Club’s spring tour in Kenya, hopes to become a journalist after graduation. She has already made progress toward that goal, serving as the opinion editor for the Yale Daily News, and getting her work published in Teen Vogue and the literary journal Menacing Hedge.

“Whether you’re in sports, whether you end up in STEM, whether you end up in government, seeing my peers — who had different interests in arts — not everyone wanted to be an artist,” she said in a video interview. “But they found places to express themselves, found places to be creative, found places to say things that they didn’t know how else to say them.”

Ms. Onguru’s path shows what a pivotal role arts education can play in a young person’s development. Yet, while the arts and culture space accounts for a significant amount of gross domestic product across the globe — in the United Kingdom in 2021, the arts contributed £109 billion to the economy , while in the U.S., it brought in over $1 trillion that year — arts education budgets in schools continue to get slashed. (In 2021, for instance, the spending on arts education in the U.K. came to an average of just £9.40 per pupil for the year .)

While experts have long espoused the idea that exposure to the arts plays a critical role in primary and secondary schooling, education systems globally have continually failed to hold it in high regard. As Eric Booth, a U.S.-based arts educator and a co-author of “Playing for Their Lives: The Global El Sistema Movement for Social Change Through Music,” said: “There are a whole lot of countries in the world that don’t have the arts in the school, it just isn’t a thing, and it never has been.”

That has led to the arts education trajectory heading in a “dark downward spiral,” said Jelena Trkulja, senior adviser for academic and cultural affairs at Qatar Museums , who moderated a panel entitled “When Arts Education is a Luxury: New Ecosystems” at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Florence, Italy, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, with panels moderated by New York Times journalists.

Part of why that is happening, she said, is that societies still don’t have a sufficient and nuanced understanding of the benefits arts education can bring, in terms of young people’s development. “Arts education is still perceived as an add-on, rather than an essential field creating essential 21st-century skills that are defined as the four C’s of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking,” Dr. Trkulja said in a video interview, “and those skills are being developed in arts education.”

Dennie Palmer Wolf, principal researcher at the U.S.-based arts research consultancy WolfBrown , agreed. “We have to learn to make a much broader argument about arts education,” she said. “It isn’t only playing the cello.”

It is largely through the arts that we as humans understand our own history, from a cave painting in Indonesia thought to be 45,000 years old to “The Tale of Genji,” a book that’s often called the world’s first novel , written by an 11th-century Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikibu; from the art of Michelangelo and Picasso to the music of Mozart and Miriam Makeba and Taylor Swift.

“The arts are one of the fundamental ways that we try to make sense of the world,” said Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Truman School of Public Affairs and a co-director of the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Arts, Humanities & Civic Engagement Lab . “People use the arts to offer a critical perspective of their exploration of the human condition, and that’s what the root of education is in some ways.”

And yet, the arts don’t lend themselves well to hard data, something educators and policymakers need to justify classes in those disciplines in their budgets. “Arts is this visceral thing, this thing inside you, the collective moment of a crescendo,” said Heddy Lahmann , an assistant professor of international education at New York University, who is conducting a global study examining arts education in public schools for the Community Arts Network. “But it’s really hard to qualify what that is.”

Dr. Lahmann’s early research into the decrease in spending by public schools in arts education points to everything from the lack of trained teachers in the arts — partly because those educators are worried about their own job security — to the challenges of teaching arts remotely in the early days of the Covid pandemic. And, of course, standardized tests like the Program for International Student Assessment, which covers reading, math and science, where countries compete on outcomes. “There’s a race to get those indicators,” Dr. Lahmann said, “and arts don’t readily fit into that.” In part, that is because standardized tests don’t cover arts education .

“It’s that unattractive truth that what gets measured gets attended to,” said Mr. Booth, the arts educator who co-authored “Playing for Their Lives.”

While studies over the years have underscored the ways that arts education can lead to better student achievement — in the way that musical skills support literacy, say, and arts activities lead to improved vocabulary, what have traditionally been lacking are large-scale randomized control studies. But a recent research project done in 42 elementary and middle schools in Houston, which was co-directed by Dr. Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, a professor who teaches education policy at Texas A&M, is the first of its kind to do just that. Their research found that students who had increased arts education experiences saw improvements in writing achievement, emotional and cognitive empathy, school engagement and higher education aspirations, while they had a lower incidence of disciplinary infractions.

As young people are now, more than ever, inundated with images on social media and businesses are increasingly using A.I., it has become even more relevant for students these days to learn how to think more critically and creatively. “Because what is required of us in this coming century is an imaginative capacity that goes far beyond what we have deliberately cultivated in the schooling environment over the last 25 years,” said Mariko Silver, the chief executive of the Henry Luce Foundation, “and that requires truly deep arts education for everyone.”

‘How a healthy community should be’: how music in youth detention can create new futures

Deputy Director (Research), Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University

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Alexis Anja Kallio does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Griffith University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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Many young people in contact with the justice system come from backgrounds of extreme poverty, parental abuse or neglect, parental incarceration and disrupted education.

These complex traumas often manifest as addictions to drugs or alcohol, mental health challenges, poor physical health and wellbeing, and conduct disorders.

How we can effectively respond to offending by these vulnerable young people remains a contentious topic .

“Tough on youth crime” approaches are notoriously ineffective: 85% of young people in Australia reoffend within a year of release , and research from the United Kingdom suggests periods of detention increase the frequency and severity of offending.

Innovative solutions are urgently needed to reduce youth offending in ways that prioritise the best interests of the child .

Music can provide incarcerated youth with opportunities to redefine themselves from young offenders to young artists with creative potential.

Music as an arena for change

My analysis of international studies on music programs in youth detention centres found music can help young people to process trauma, build confidence, improve self-regulation, engage with learning, establish positive social relationships, and generate the hope needed to imagine new futures.

When we include music programs run for justice-engaged youth in community settings, researchers have identified more than 560 wellbeing benefits, including reductions in aggression and violence, a sense of cultural identity and belonging, and improvements in self confidence, trust and empathy.

The transformative potential of music is evident across musical styles and program approaches, from choirs to Javanese Gamelan groups to hip hop workshops.

However, my research suggests music programs need to be carefully designed and implemented to have lasting impact. Importantly, young people need to be given freedom to explore and express who they are and have opportunities to forge trusting relationships with peers and adults.

Music as a safe space

Music programs can alleviate the stressors of incarceration. The Australian Children’s Music Foundation runs music programs in five youth detention centres around Australia, often through guitar or songwriting workshops.

Musicians shared that these programs were not only an escape, but could “change the atmosphere” from a very intense environment in which youth are often wary and tense to one where they can dream and play.

One musician described

[there is a big] difference in the kids’ reactions and their interactions between the guards who are responsible for saying ‘get in your cell now, we’re locking the doors’, and musicians.

Bringing together all of the senses to learn a complex skill, such as playing guitar, means

kids are forgetting about everything that happened yesterday and not thinking about everything that might happen later. They’re thinking about what’s happening right now, so that already is a game changer.

Not a classroom

Musicians Scott “ Optamus ” Griffiths and Rush Wepiha of Banksia Beats emphasise, their program is not a classroom and they are not teachers.

Taking place at Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Western Australia, Griffiths describes Banksia Beats as “simulating how a healthy community should be”.

Youth can participate to whatever extent they feel comfortable. This might involve writing rhymes, laying down beats, rapping, adjusting the microphone, holding a notebook for someone, providing feedback or ideas for others, or simply listening.

In this way, young people can develop trusting relationships and learn from each other as much as they do their facilitators.

Music as creative guidance

Particularly when incarcerated young people have little control over their lives, having ownership over their own stories through music can be significant.

This is not always a comfortable process.

Australian Childrens’ Music Foundation founder Don Spencer noted

it’s not ‘let’s all sing happy songs today’. Some of the songs that young people write are not happy songs, there’s no way you can make everything happy with what’s going on! But it’s the experience that we want to be positive.

The opportunity to experiment through music can be seen as a way to “try on” new identities and ways of interacting with others.

Musicians described music as a form of self care, with youths often requesting to learn songs they had “listened to with their mum and dad” – an important source of comfort and hope in an otherwise isolating environment .

This work demands that musicians build rapport and a safe environment for youth to share who they are, process their experiences, and imagine where they might belong. This can be challenging with young people who have been repeatedly let down by adults and society in general.

As Spencer says:

no matter what happens, you’ve got to be there next time. It’s not like young people can do whatever they want to us, but if there’s a conflict we say ‘Okay, that’s not right, I’d like you to think about it. I’ll see you next time, and we’ll try again’.

Griffiths and Wepiha emphasised they “always validate” young peoples’ lyrics and rhymes , even if they initially seem problematic.

Rather than forbidding swearwords or certain topics, or having a more moralising response, Banksia Beats uses such instances as opportunities to talk through the issues important to the young people themselves.

Music offers a non-confrontational way for musicians to guide the youths to reflect critically on their past experiences and understandings, and make positive decisions for their own futures.

Music as a right, not a reward

Musicians I have interviewed all agree that music programs should not be used to reward young people for good behaviour, only to be taken away if they don’t comply. Framing music as a reward – rather than a right – has the potential to mitigate the transformative potentials of music programs by subsuming them within broader carceral systems of discipline and control.

Music programs should be an alternative, safe, creative space where everyone belongs.

Rather than an intervention to “fix” young people while they also navigate the stressors of detention, music might also be an effective early intervention strategy . By reducing our overreliance on punitive responses to youth offending - which are “particularly unhelpful” at meeting the trauma-related and developmental needs of youth, we can imagine how such programs could change youth justice more broadly.

The question now is how we might make such programs available for the young people who need them the most. As one musician I interviewed asked, “how can music change the life of someone that isn’t given the opportunity?”

• Youth crime
• Music education
• Juvenile detention
• Youth justice
• Youth detention
• Better Cities
• disadvantage and institutions series

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