http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/is-music-the-key-to-success.html?_r=0
I'm not sure how many of you have heard the cliche that when you're younger and you begin to play an instrument that you end up smarter/having greater focus than the average person who doesn't. This article explains how many people think that being a musician can lead to academic achievement. I agree with this somewhat, partially because a lot of academic achievement requires discipline and so does being a musician. The article also brought up many new aspects I've never thought about. Definitely an interesting read.
Thanks, Lexi. Advocates for arts education often use the "playing music makes you smarter" argument (as well as similar ones). There is sometimes pushback--shouldn't music and the other arts be seen as worthwhile in and of themselves?
ReplyDeleteI thought the article was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteWell I completely agree with the article. In my school system we had 4 high schools: the medical magnet, fine arts magnet, engineering magnet and mine which was the IB magnet. Even though every one expected the fine arts high school to have a better music program (because performers gravitated to it), my high school consistently sounded better. I may be a tad biased but I know I was not the only one who thought that. I realized that music and academic success go together when I looked at our band and realized that we were all in the IB program. So I do think that academic strength goes hand in hand with playing an instrument.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Lexi! I've always thought music was important because it helps other aspect of academic life, but sometimes I wonder how exactly it does that. I definitely agree that it helps us know when to lead, when to follow, and how to work with people. I had never thought of that as being an advantage of being a musician, but it's so true! I also thought it was funny how Wolfensohn said "You aren’t trying to win any races or be the leader of this or the leader of that," because there are definitely many of performance majors everywhere who are consistently trying to be the best. It was an interesting contrast to the competitive attitude often associated with performance majors.
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