To the Editor:

Music education is more beneficial than it is given credit for. Being a music student for so long has taught me many life lessons such as how to work with a team efficiently and “practice makes perfect.”

Not only does music teach you lessons, but it also improves your mood and strengthens your brain. Not many people know the scientific side of the benefits of music, which is probably why it is so vulnerable to budget cuts in schools across the world.

The brain controls our body and everything we do. It is important that the brain functions in a healthy way. Music can help with that.

Studies have shown that music improves many of the brain's functions. In fact, an article by Jill Suttie reports on a study that has shown singing and listening to music actually improved the memory and mood of dementia patients. This evidence shows what music does to improve how you feel.

It has been proven to release dopamine, according to Emily Sohn of Discovery News. Dopamine is what makes you feel good and happy. I can’t think of a person who doesn’t feel joy when listening to his or her favorite song. So many sources cite music’s positive impacts on the brain, how could you not advocate for it?

Some kids really struggle to succeed in high school. Classes can be difficult to handle, which makes kids struggle to make it to graduation. Certain classes like math and science may not be of interest to everyone, which is why music can be a saving grace to some students.

Music education is a way to not only learn, but to be creative and express yourself through a different platform. According to “The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention” [a paper by N. Barry, J. Taylor, K. Walls, and J. Wood at the Center for Music Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee], kids who were at risk of not completing their high school career state their reason for graduation was music.

In other words, music classes motivated these students to graduate. If music classes were cut in their school, where would these students be today? They probably wouldn’t have a high school diploma. Getting a diploma is a huge leap toward a good future, so the fact that music pushed them there is quite amazing.

Some people argue that this issue is not as important, and that other classes hold a greater importance. With the economic issues our country has faced and still continues to face to a certain degree, sometimes classes must be cut to fit a school’s budget.

Choices have to be made when it comes down to it. According to James S. Vlasto, spokesman for the New York City school district, the decision can be very difficult. He has to look at what the school needs more of, which happens to be bilingual teachers. He also states how he feels they need more arts too, which can be the case for many schools. As much as music is important, there are other things deemed more important to today’s society. In the future, it would be nice to see music education lose its vulnerability to budget cuts. In order to do this, we just need to keep advocating for it and educating everyone involved in the issue.

I really do see a future that holds promise to keeping music education around for students to learn about and enjoy. Music may not be appreciated by everyone, but one day it very well could be as long as we keep music education in our schools.

Sydney Geddes

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Sydney Geddes is a student at Guilderland High School who notes, “Music has been a huge part of my life for the past nine years, and I know many others who feel the same. I believe if we spread awareness on the topic, music may be less vulnerable to the current budget cuts that we are facing.