THE SUPERCHARGED VALUE OF MUSIC EDUCATION

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1 THE SUPERCHARGED VALUE OF MUSIC EDUCATION Dr. David V. Mastran, QuaverMusic.com Enriching Lives through Music Education 1706 Grand Avenue Nashville, TN

2 SUPERCHARGED SUMMARY Music is a fifth dimension in our lives. It enhances our experiences and touches us, sometimes profoundly, on a daily basis. The value of music in childhood development cannot be denied. Yet the benefits of a focus on enhanced music education in the elementary and middle school classroom are even greater than you may realize. In the pages that follow, you will be introduced to the Supercharged Value of Music Education. When the role of music in the classroom is supercharged to include all aspects of childhood development, schools and districts will see incredible outcomes, including: Increased social and emotional development Improvement in math and literacy scores Fewer behavior and attendance issues Greater job satisfaction among teachers The music classroom is the perfect place to develop the whole child. Read on to learn how this can strengthen the student, the school, the community, and eventually the entire fabric of society by creating a more competitive, compassionate workforce.

3 THE SUPERCHARGED VALUE OF MUSIC EDUCATION CONTENT EMPOWERING STATE AND LOCAL POLICY MAKERS 5 SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 6 EMOTIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 6 COGNITIVE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 6 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 7 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT 7 ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT 8 SUMMARY 9 BIO DR. DAVID V. MASTRAN 10 The Supercharged Value of Music Education QuaverMusic.com 3

4 Pre-Kindergarten students gather around a tablet to learn keywords in Old MacDonald Had A Farm from their QuaverMusic digital curriculum.

5 VERY STUDENT SUCCE Most people, including many state legislators, school superintendents, and principals believe that a general music education is beneficial and should be taught in schools. Yet when it comes to recognizing and appreciating the dramatic contributions that music programs can make to a student s overall development, there is a void and a disturbing disconnect. Fortunately, the tides of opinion in both public and private sectors are shifting to recognize this truth. Read on for evidence of the supercharged value music education can offer this generation of students. Empowering State and Local Policy Makers For the first time ever in 2015, Congressional bipartisan language (within the Every Student Succeeds Act) empowers state and local decision makers to make music education a priority. In fact, ESSA includes specific and Excerpt from: S.1177 EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT SEC DEFINITIONS (52) WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION. The term well-rounded education means courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, MUSIC, career and technical education, health, physical education, and any other subject, as determined by the State or local educational agency, with the purpose of providing all students access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience. 2 separate mention of music education as a vital component to every child s well-rounded education. Concurrently, major American companies have been searching for the skillset needed for their employees to be successful in the workplace. Google, one of America s most admired companies, has been studying this problem for years. Surprisingly, the founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, recently discovered that it was not their employee s intelligence or technical virtuosity that mattered most, it was their social and emotional skills.1 This finding has been confirmed repeatedly in other studies. Yet, the music classroom has not been widely recognized as one of the best places to learn these skills. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others having empathy being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas. 1 Surprising thing Google learned about its employees and what it means for today s students, Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, December 20, Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177) senate-bill/1177 5

6 As it turns out, a solid music education develops skills in multiple areas needed for employees to be successful in the workplace. These areas include social, emotional, and cognitive skills, as well as character and physical development, and even greater proficiency in other academic subjects via arts integration. In fact, music education does play a pivotal role in fully preparing individuals for the challenges of today s society. 1. Social Skills Development Music education promotes team identity, cooperative behavior and common commitment in a way that no other classroom subject can. In the music classroom, a student learns to perform on cue, receive and offer constructive criticism, and resolve differences of opinion, all vital areas of social development. Students learn to sing and play together and experience a stronger sense of collective belonging. 2. Emotional Skills Development Practicing, mastering, and performing a piece of music in front of others promotes emotional control, heightened self-esteem, and selfconfidence. No other academic subject facilitates this type of unique developmental growth. Music innately emotional, unlike math and sciences encourages freedom of expression, individuality and independent thinking. Appreciation for cultural diversity and different types of music promotes empathy and understanding, which in turn promotes social harmony in larger society. 3. Cognitive Skills Development Music education promotes four types of cognitive skills development: Attention Control: Music is time-dependent; defined by elements and measurements such as flow, melody, and rhythm. Students must learn to pay attention to these measurements, to the cues from their teacher, as well as actions of their fellow students. Emotional Social Whole-Child Development Cognitive Character Physical Academic 6 The Supercharged Value of Music Education QuaverMusic.com

7 Planning Skills: To compose, learn or perform a piece of music, planning must occur. This involves identifying and understanding the overall goal, selecting the team leaders, agreeing on ways of working towards that common goal, planning rehearsals, organizing the performance, and finally, reviewing the audience reaction. Working Memory: Memorizing instrumental parts, song lyrics, and sometimes even physical movements promotes neurological growth and enhanced mental acuity. Critical Thinking: Analytic and evaluative skills are also taught in music education; when evaluating a piece of music or the performance of a fellow student, these skills are vital. Music education effectively challenges the developing brain to deal with the pressures of time and content. 4. Character Development Music class also offers the opportunity to study the great composers and how they achieved fame, dealt with adversity and overcame challenge. (Beethoven, for example, was deaf during most of his productive career.) Another dimension of character development is a heightened sense of tolerance and empathy, as discussed earlier. Students are introduced to a myriad of characters, many very different from them, through the songs and songwriters of music throughout history. 5. Physical Development As with physical education classes, music education also contributes significantly (and uniquely) to the physical development of the student. This is accomplished by developing hand-toeye coordination in playing instruments and developing large and small motor skills through rhythmic movement and dance. The Supercharged Value of Music Education QuaverMusic.com 7

8 English/Literacy Math Physical Education Music Education Science Digital resources make a well-rounded education accessible to all students. Geography History 6. Academic Development Music Education reinforces all of the other academic subjects and provides a deeper context in which students better understand what they are learning and why. Mathematics: Music and math have long been associated. Math is embedded in all musical scores. Counting beats and learning fractions like eighth notes are fundamental to music. Learning to read and interpret symbols and measurements in music class (rhythms, scales, tempo, etc.) provides a solid understanding of how to process and interpret mathematical symbols. Students who learn music have less trouble learning mathematics, simply because the two subjects are so closely associated. English/ Literacy: Music and English teachers share the same goal: to teach students how to process, understand and convey what they read. Lyrics are taught in music class. Students learn to read the words and understand what they mean. At QuaverMusic, we highlight the words as they are sung so students can learn them more quickly. Music reinforces what is taught in English class. Science: Again, understanding musical concepts can contribute greatly to a student s grasp of scientific concepts. In both subjects, the science of sound is precise and powerful. Technology plays a significant part in music as well electronic instruments, audio engineering, and more. Understanding human anatomy, for example, is also important in singing properly. 8 The Supercharged Value of Music Education QuaverMusic.com

9 Summary The expansive, integrative quality of music education promotes and reinforces a deeper understanding of other academic subjects. Music is the golden thread that weaves together academic, social and emotional learning into a single tapestry. Persons responsible for the funding and development of music education have a solemn responsibility to be aware of these benefits when making their decisions. Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young. Aristotle Music education is for everybody. It helps develop the whole child or adult on a multitude of levels by contributing to the well-being of not only the student, but the family, the community, the workplace, the nation, and society at large. It carries with it a higher good. Districts across the country are seeing the supercharged value of music education in their schools! Learn more at: QuaverMusic.com/supercharged 9

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11 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. David V. Mastran President & Co-Founder QuaverMusic Dr. David V. Mastran founded MAXIMUS, Inc. in 1975 in his basement and served as Chief Executive Officer through decades of 30%+ annual growth. He led the company through its listing on the New York Stock Exchange and served as CEO until his retirement in Today, MAXIMUS trades at over $4 billion with revenues exceeding $2 billion. In 2010, along with Co-Founder Graham Hepburn, David launched QuaverMusic a general music education company serving PreK 8 music teachers. Propelled by its mission: Enriching Lives Through Music Education, the company supports more than 8,000 teachers in all 50 states. QuaverMusic has 70 full time employees and occupies 3 buildings in the heart of Nashville s iconic Music Row District. Dr. Mastran received his Sc.D. in Operations Research from The George Washington University, his M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and his B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served with distinction in the Air Force in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star with five campaign ribbons. Dr. Mastran has authored several books, including Vietnam 1968: Turning Point and Privateer!. In 2018 he was named to the Americans for the Arts National Business Advisory Council. He has a son David Bruce, a daughter Susannah Mary and many, many grandchildren. He and his wife, Donna, live in Nashville, Tennessee. The Supercharged Value of Music Education QuaverMusic.com 11

12 12 Copyright MMXVIII, by QuaverMusic.com, LLC. All trademarks designated are the property of QuaverMusic.com, LLC. All stories, characters, artwork and other original material embodied in the product including any printable materials are Copyright MMXIII, by QuaverMusic.com, LLC All rights reserved.