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You will notice the many quotes I have on my padlet about the value of the arts and music education. I am extremely excited to bring to light the importance of the arts in our society and highlight the value of music education in particular. These quotes inspire me and I have been extremely fortunate to have had great mentors and music teachers.

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I was the orchestrator & conductor for the Korean World's Fair opening music, Newman Scoring Stage

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I was the orchestrator & conductor for the Korean World's Fair opening music, Newman Scoring Stage

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Scoring Session for American Dad at Fox Studios with Composer Walter Murphy

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Scoring Session for American Dad at Fox Studios with Composer Walter Murphy

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Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J. M., Bizup, J., & Fitzgerald, W. T. (2016). The Craft of Research (4th ed.). Chicago, Il: University of Chicago Press.

Bowles, C., Dobbs, T., & Jensen, J. (2014). Self-perceived influences on musically active nonmusic majors related to continued engagement. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 33(1), 11-20.

Copland, A. (1963). Copland on Music. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Copland, A. (1957). What to Listen for In Music. ([Revis.] ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Elpus, K. (2007).  Improving music education advocacy.  Arts Education Policy Review, 108(3),   13-18.

Habermeyer, S. (1999). Good Music Brighter Children. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing.

Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), 269-289.

Hallam, S. (2005).  How to advocate for music: Personal stories of music education advocacy: The power of music. International Journal of Music Education, 23(2), 144-148.

Jones, S. (2017).  Playing the changes.  New Jersey Teachers Magazine, 7(1), 19-22.

Kleitsch, C. (1996). Why the band must play on: The value of music education. Today's Parent, 13(2), 32.

Machi, L. A., & McEvoy, B. T. (2016). The Literature Review: Six steps to success (3rd ed.). Thousan Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Munroe, A.  (2015).  Curriculum integration in the general music classroom.  General Music Today, 29(1), 29-18.

Music makes the grade: Music programs contribute to higher attendance and graduation rates. (2007). Teaching Music, 14(4), 36A-4.

Nikkanen, H. M., & Westerlund, H. (2017).  More than just music: Reconsidering the educational value of music in school rituals. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 25(2), 112-129.

Pike, P.D. (2014).  The exploration of the effect of cognitive and collaborative strategies on keyboard skills of music education students.  The Journal of Music Teacher Education, 23(2), 79-91.

Ramundo, A. (2017).  Hitting the high note.  New Jersey Teachers Magazine.  7(1), 25-26.

Regelski, T. A. (2002). Musical values and the value of music education. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 10(1), 49-55.

Ridley, D. (2012). The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students (Second Edition ed.). London, UK: Sage Publications.

Rosen, D., Schmidt, E., & Kim, Y. (2013, June). Utilizing music technology as a model for creativity development in K-12 education. Paper presented at the 9th ACM Conference on creativity & cognitions, Sydney, Australia.  Retrieved from https://dl-acm org.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/citation.cfm?id=2466670

Severs, J. (2016). How music can boost results, creativity and students' self-esteem.

London:  Times Supplements Ltd.

Shaw, R. D. (2014). How critical is critical thinking? Music Educators Journal, 101(2), 65-70.

Stravinsky, I. (1942). Poetics of Music. Cambridge, Massachusettes: Harvard University Press.

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My Thoughts about why music study is important for the future of our society

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My Thoughts about why music study is important for the future of our society

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There are many studies that demonstrate how music can have a significant impact on a child’s brain development.  Theories such as the Mozart effect have been developed to give reason to the improved nature of spatial skills, critical thinking, exceptional math and reading skills, and the overall academic success of a student.  As human beings, we have a huge capacity to learn, and much of what we learn is through exposure.  My question is, how do we learn?  My belief is that we learn by listening, seeing, doing and touching.  Einstein said, “Learning is an experience, everything else is just information”.  Despite these thoughts, conventional learning in our public school system today relies on lecture rather than applied learning practices.  Research has shown that exposure to music at an early age promotes coordination, language development, phonetic awareness, higher mathematical performance, intellectual development, critical thinking skills and an overall creative outlet that lends itself to a positive emotional state (Halam, 2010).  I will research and explore how these developments have the potential to build character and lead one to a productive life of self-confidence, compassion, sensitivity to others, creativity, responsibility, discipline, teamwork, self-expression, appreciation and overall enjoyment.

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Personal/Professional Interests in this Research Topic

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Personal/Professional Interests in this Research Topic

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I have been a professional musician and composer for 30 years and had the great honor of being a National Endowment for the Arts recipient in music composition.  I am interested in exploring the question of why music continues to be undervalued in our public education system as a fundamental subject of study, and why music education itself should be important to our society.  I will research the educational value of music at a young age and the importance of advocating for music education to be a compulsory part of K-12 curriculum in our public school system.

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It is true that we need people who have computer competencies in the workplace and experts who have the hard skills to support our sophisticated global network of technology.  However, these skills along with the ability to synthesize and interpret information, create a vision and anticipate change are necessary skills to compete in a global environment.  My expectation is that a by-product of this research will yield a strong argument that values music education as a powerful discipline in compulsory academic rigor that builds key competencies and innovative thinking for future job creation.  Moreover, my research will include the value of studying a musical instrument as a window to a future of lifelong learning fostered by a thirst for knowledge and the determination and perseverance to pursue it.

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1.      Why is music education important for cognitive development in children?

2.      Why is music education important for society as a whole?

3.      Why has music education been marginalized in the public school system?

4.      How can we demonstrate a pedagogy that provides learning connections between disciplines such as math and science?

5.      What are the life skills that develop as a result of exposure to music and/or the study of a musical instrument?

6.      Is it our school system, state or federal government who should promote and support the cultural arts to our young people?

7.      Why do artistic skills and creative thinking account for so little as a contribution to our society?

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As I explored potential research topics, I was naturally drawn to the arts.  As I explore the realm of the power of music over the cognitive and creative development in children, my intention is to take a deep dive into the outcomes such as the development of critical thinking skills, creativity, intellectual development and other academic skills that evolve as a result of exposure to music.  In my career as an administrator in higher education, I found that employers were increasingly looking for employees who were problem solvers, innovative thinkers, had a high tolerance for ambiguity, and most importantly, creative thinkers.  In other words, soft skills are becoming just as important as the technological skills in the workplace.

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Personal/Professional Interests in this Research Topic

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Personal/Professional Interests in this Research Topic

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There are many studies that demonstrate how music can have a significant impact on a child’s brain development.  Theories such as the Mozart effect have been developed to give reason to the improved nature of spatial skills, critical thinking, exceptional math and reading skills, and the overall academic success of a student.  As human beings, we have a huge capacity to learn, and much of what we learn is through exposure.  My question is, how do we learn?  My belief is that we learn by listening, seeing, doing and touching.  Einstein said, “Learning is an experience, everything else is just information”.  Despite these thoughts, conventional learning in our public school system today relies on lecture rather than applied learning practices.  Research has shown that exposure to music at an early age promotes coordination, language development, phonetic awareness, higher mathematical performance, intellectual development, critical thinking skills and an overall creative outlet that lends itself to a positive emotional state (Halam, 2010).  I will research and explore how these developments have the potential to build character and lead one to a productive life of self-confidence, compassion, sensitivity to others, creativity, responsibility, discipline, teamwork, self-expression, appreciation and overall enjoyment.