As an educator, you get to see firsthand the growth and improvement of your students! But do you know the long-term benefits of music in the classroom? Let’s discuss the advantages of all of the wonderful work you do, because after all, “The influence of a good teacher can never be erased.”
Introducing music in the classroom has myriad advantages for mental, emotional, physical, and societal well-being. Some of the earliest benefits of music education include increased fine motor skills, rhythm skills, and improved early reading abilities among toddlers.
Grade school children gain abstract reasoning abilities, larger vocabularies, better mental focus, advanced reading skills, emotional maturity, and creative thinking skills when participating in a school music program. Former President of the U.S., Bill Clinton, states, “Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and by studying music in schools, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective.”
As your students get older, they continue to benefit from music education in their curriculum. On average, students who have music education in middle and high schools have higher mathematics scores and graduation rates. Additionally, students who participate in band or orchestra have the lowest substance usage, including alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse, throughout their lifetimes.
Students who received music education grow up to be more adept at problem-solving, better at task management, and more creative and flexible in work settings. No longer practicing music? Just listening to music can reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety!
If those perks are not enough, it is proven that music can counteract some of the negative effects of aging, such as memory and hearing difficulties in older adults. Music improves auditory health, memory, and processing speed, and mental and social health, all while simultaneously increasing overall life satisfaction.
20 Benefits of Music in Our Schools
- Music helps develop language and reasoning
- A mastery of memorization
- Students learn to improve their work
- Increased coordination
- A sense of achievement
- Kids stay engaged in school
- Success in society
- Emotional development
- Students learn pattern recognition
- Better SAT scores
- Fine-tuned auditory skills
- Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity
- Stress management
- Musical instruments can teach discipline
- Preparation for the creative economy
- Development in creative thinking
- Music can develop spatial intelligence
- Kids can learn teamwork
- Responsible risk-taking
- Better self-confidence!
Aaron Hansen is an experienced K-6 General Music educator, passionate about bringing music to life through the Orff Approach. He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Aaron has completed comprehensive Orff Teacher Training, including three levels at the University of St. Thomas and an Orff Master Class. His dedication to the Orff method took him to the Summer International Course at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria. Aaron also shares his expertise by teaching movement at various Orff Teacher Training Courses and conducting workshops for local Orff Chapters.
