I am a fervent believer that elementary education is the most important education one will receive. Elementary school teaches one how to be a functioning member of society. In elementary school we learn how to communicate (read, write, and work with others); perform basic math operations (count money, tell time, recognize patterns); recall historical events (national heritage, local heritage, geographic development) and prepare for continued learning. I believe that general music education prepares one how to be a functioning member of society too.
Music is found in every culture on earth. Music is ingrained into all of our human institutions: religion/spirituality, marriage, economy/commerce, government, and education. Therefore, for the majority of people on earth, music encompasses one’s life. This alone signifies the importance of music to humanity.
One of my professors in college said, “There are some classes that just make you a better person.”
I would expand this to say, “There are some classes that just make you better human--whole; happy; and connected to yourself, your heritage, and people who give your life meaning.
General music education gives students the tools to fully participate humanity: to sing a song about the love of country, to sing at church, to sing at a funeral, to dance at a wedding, to honor veterans with a march, to rock a baby to the beat, to sing a lullaby, to march to the beat, to sound a victory, to watch a movie, to sing a commercial jingle, to remember how to spell “receive,” to connect with ancestry, to believe in a brighter future.