What are the advantages and disadvantages of a musical education ...

Recommendations

Info

families can’t afford to send them to private schools. ‘Valentine’s (1962) study, which was discussed earlier, showed that ‘preparatory school’ children showed greater evidence of musical acculturation than their ‘elementary school’ counterparts; this result is almost certainly mediated by social class’ (Hargreaves, 1986, P.103). These results imply that the reason the preparatory children showed a greater level of musical acculturation was down to their social class. Music can often be an expensive hobby, especially for families who have more than one child. Musical instruments sometimes costing hundreds of pounds and lessons that now rarely cost less than fifteen pounds for half an hour may not be affordable or accessible to all families. This leads to the conclusion that the accusation of music causing social divides may not be too far from the truth. Just like many other subjects within the creative arts it is now extremely difficult to progress without some form of training, which in today’s society rarely comes cheap. There are now bursaries and scholarships that can be awarded to talented students who can’t afford to pay for the education required for them to progress in their art. However these bursaries and scholarships cannot be awarded to every student; therefore, the idea of social divides still has prominence. Due to lack of funding and resources many state schools are not able to provide the same musical facilities as are available in private schools. ‘Children who listened to Mozart before taking a test performed better. The catch? The effects only lasted about 20 minutes. Other research may have been skewed by socioeconomic differences between kids who attend schools with music programs and kids whose schools can’t afford them’ (Boyd, 2008). This quote suggests that children who listen to Mozart before taking tests performed better but it also implies that there were recognizable differences in children that attended schools with music programs and those that attended schools that can’t afford them. This point leads society to ask the question, do all children have the same opportunities when it comes to music? What children do outside of school is really down to the parents and society cannot really argue with that. However when it comes to music education in schools is it fair that not all children have the same opportunities? ‘In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms’ (Weintraub. Abeson, 1972). This quote from a law review written by Frederic J. Weintraub and Alan R. Abeson outlines the fact that education is a right of all children and should be given out equally. If all children are entitled to an equal education then perhaps there should be greater consideration and action taken to ensure that all schools are giving their pupils a fair and equal education in music and offering them the same musical opportunities. In the United States it was made law that no child should have greater priority in terms of education than any other child. ‘The Supreme Court of the United States ruled illegal the provision of education services to any child on a basis unequal to that provided any other child’ (Weintraub. Abeson, 1972). This quote isn’t just implying that all children have the right to be educated but also that the services provided within education should be equal to all children. Music Education in Regard to Children CM6002 Emily McGregor 163930 22
Summary and Conclusion It is evident to see that music plays a huge part in everyone’s day-to-day lives. It has now become impossible to live in today’s society without being exposed to some form of music. So can music have a positive effect on young children? The answer is yes it can. It can have a positive effect on building a child’s confidence and it is a fun and educational activity that helps to stimulate both sides of a child’s brain, the logical and the creative. Music can contribute to a baby’s brain development and help comfort them in challenging times throughout their early childhood. Children with disabilities can benefit greatly from music therapy, which can be used to help them both mentally and physically. Introducing music at an early age can contribute to parent and child relationships and can be a fun and stimulating activity that children and parents can participate in together. Although the research in this document concludes that music can have a positive effect on young children, it is still important to consider the argument: can music have a negative effect on young children? The answer is also yes. Although it is clear to see the huge number of advantages that can come through an early introduction to music, it is important to remember that not all kinds of music have the same effect. Some types of music can be extremely damaging to young children. Explicit and aggressive music can have a negative impact on children both socially and academically. The lyrics in some of today’s chart music portray a false image of sex, relationships, and violence. Children’s minds are so vulnerable and when these sorts of messages are being portrayed by some of societies iconic figures it can be very misleading for young children. Not all children are getting the same opportunities when it comes to music and this has a lot to do with limited funding in schools and conflicting ideas on what subjects should be prioritized. Perhaps the Government needs to give greater consideration to taking action to ensure that music is being used effectively within the National Curriculum. There also needs to be more support given to primary school teachers who are expected to teach every subject within the curriculum. Overall, it seems evident that there are more benefits than negatives that come from an early introduction to music; however this is only if music is used in a positive way. There needs to be greater consideration to the remarkable effect that music can have on children’s lives, to ensure that all children are getting the best possible introduction to music that society can offer. Music Education in Regard to Children CM6002 Emily McGregor 163930 23
Page 1 and 2: What are the advantages and disadva
Page 3 and 4: What are the advantages and disadva
Page 5 and 6: ‘Good baby music is created with
Page 7 and 8: How music can benefit children with
Page 9 and 10: ‘Music is used to develop the use
Page 11 and 12: subjects taught in primary schools.
Page 13 and 14: that music can be used effectively
Page 15 and 16: The main aims of the Orff Approach
Page 17 and 18: The Suzuki method is an idea that i
Page 19 and 20: ‘Let your child listen to whateve
Page 21: meaning, it implies that today’s
Page 25 and 26: Doolan, K. Rhythm Time, [Interview]
Page 27 and 28: National Curriculum, (2011), The na

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a musical education ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?