Sunday, May 3, 2009

Why Learn Music?

Performing on a music instrument makes you smart! I have heard many say this as an argument to supporting music. As my colleague would say, "That statement is a musical sell out." Connecting music to bettering our skills and intelligence in other non-musical areas can force music for music's sake into an ever deepening black hole. The reason to study music and learn to perform is because a person enjoys the music.

Spending my life as a musician, I can certainly tell you that at no time in my practicing and performing am I thinking about my mathematical abilities, or my reasoning skills. My focus is on performing to the best of my abilities. During my practice sessions, I am focused on bettering my MUSICAL skills.

I don't discredit that music can make us better people. In fact, I 100% support that. Being smarter does not necessarily lead to being a better person. What does being a better person mean? Again, I offer the words of my colleague. "Musical activities afford us complex situations in which we must communicate, work with others, compromise, and express ourselves openly." Through participating in musical activities I DO feel I have learned to hear what people are saying, not just reacting to them, but INTERACTING with them.

Kids and adults alike should support Music for Music's sake. Becoming a musician may very well be more important than bettering your math scores. We have a long way to go to support growth in this area. But we are committed.