Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Woodwinds- Music belongs in the Public Schools!

.....Music should be central to the school curriculum because it improves children's health and wellbeing, concludes a study released today.Learning to play an instrument has a clear impact on improving intelligence.Music exerts a powerful impact on our lives and is as important for a well-rounded education as reading, writing.Fact!Learning to play an instrument has demonstrable effects on intelligence and, when children play music together, teaches them about cooperation and working together.Music helps concentration, aids relaxation and can influence moods and emotions, her study found. It can calm or arouse and help to overcome anger, despair and other powerful emotions.Instruments and playing them have been been found to help young children with language development and can aid physical coordination. Think about it- the results are in front of us for decades. Ask any professional player from Ernie Watts to Gary Burton and Arnie Krackowsky.How has music education changed my mood? Knowledge follows,inspiration and reality appear, with the best motivation being that of my soul. Because? I am prepared educationally as a person and musician. In many dimensions-from the early ages onward. My discipline as a professional musician and educator was cultivated through practice starting in public schools. I have been captured completely by the breath of life and I am humbled by the education presented to me through my life. ......Aside from the social benefits, students in high school music programs have higher test scores and cognitive development. A U.S. Department of Education study found that those who reported consistent involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.Nothard to believe is it, and the results are always fun. This observation holds regardless of students' socioeconomic status.Additionally, students who learn to play an instrument develop a greater language capacity and a greater ability to learn a new language. In another context, it is invaluable to gain a wider perspective on cultural history by being exposed to centuries of our rich cultural heritage. In my life I traveled the world and still do- it all started in 8th grade band claas in Reading, Pa.I had a fantastic band teacher- Mr. Fidler. ~~~ WORDS FROM LINDA TO LIVE BY ; "In the United States, we spend millions of dollars on sports because it promotes teamwork, discipline, and the experience of learning to make great progress in small increments. Learning to play music does all this and more." - Linda Ronstadt.......from the mouth and life of a true artist as well. ......READ THIS AND LISTEN ; http://www.gracenotescharity.org/2/post/2012/7/why-music-education-belongs-in-public-schools.html ..."After all we ask our kids to read Shakespeare, why don't we still teach Mozart? It's the classics we aspire to not the comic book level learning that we want for our students." Samuel Hope, executive director of the National Association of Schools and Music, says that the five ways we communicate and organize thought is first in letters and words, which is our language. The second is numbers and symbols which is mathematics.Children still have the thirst for performing and teaching each other music, they show it in their ipods and other electronic devices that they carry or possess. So keeping music classes in schools seems more important than ever. Do we want superheros to inspire our children or real heros of history like Mozart and Bach? I think the answer is more simple than we think. The arts feed on each other and develop self esteem and confidence. It is also known for the development of social interaction, small and large motor skills. For instance, children can learn as a group and dancing or playing an instrument helps develop social and motor skills alike.These budget cuts are taking the opportunities to learn through different mediums right of our childrens hands. Besides not being able to teach them how to work together, like in a large group such as a music class, they don't learn simple tasks like taking turns, listening for their cue to participate and the respect of personal property, like instruments.They are missing out on developing crucial social skills. These are ALL important to their overall development. Often music classes involve such things as clapping of hands, stomping of feet, basic dancing and singing at the top of your lungs; who wouldn't have fun doing that? Some studies have shown that developmentally or physically challenged children have responded very positively to music programs and that breathing and speech disabilities improved over time. For example, using these skills in therapy, it helps to develop breathing and hand mouth coordination.Get my point? MUSIC BELONGS IN EVERY CHILD'S EDUCATION....Let's never loose that in any way. Thank you- Tim Price Also- please listen to a youtube I did in 2009...about education for Rico. Read the blog...then listen to our D'Addario Woodwinds channel... Music belongs in the Public Schools! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmT6kOmTjk Tim Price on Continuing Support of Your School's Music Prog Thank you. . . .