Why Music?
Music is Science
Music is exact, specific. Music demands exact acoustics. A conductor’s full score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody, and harmony all at once, and with the most exacting control of time.
Music is Mathematical
Music is rhythmically based. It has a basic unit of time which is subdivided into fractions of seconds which must be performed instantaneously – not worked out on paper.
Music is a Foreign Language
Most of the terms used in music are written in Italian, German, French, or other symbols. Music notation is certainly not English, but a highly developed kind of shorthand that utilizes symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language in the world.
Music is History
Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation, often even the country and perhaps ethnic feel of its creator.
Music is Physical Education
Music requires complex coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheek & facial muscles. Music requires extraordinary control of diaphragm, back, stomach, and chest muscles, which respond instantly to the sound heard and the interpretation of the notation by the brain. This is not to mention the physical movements required in marching a two or three mile parade, or performing a halftime show….
Music is all these things, but most of all...
Music Is Art
Music allows a human being to take all these techniques and use them to create mood and emotion. Science cannot duplicate this. Call it humanism, feeling, emotion, or another term.
Why do we teach music?
Not because we expect you to major in music.
Not because we expect you to play or sing music all your life.
Not so you can relax.
Not so you can have fun.
But more importantly:
So you will be human.
So you will recognize beauty.
So you will be sensitive.
So your life will be enhanced.
So you will have something to cling to.
So you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good...
In short: More life!
Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living, unless you know how to live?