Decline of Music in Society and the Decline of Education

Music SHOULD be in schools.

I originally wrote this as an essay back in 2019, but I have added new information, and it is more informal.

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” – Albert Einstein.

It is not surprising to see a fall in our educational standards in this nation. There are a lot of factors that contribute to it, such as what is being taught in the classroom, standardized testing, who is involved with creating the education system, state boards, and parent involvement. 

However, I have seen a significant decline in education since schools started to cut music programs.

Education System and Testing

Since the early 2010’s (and even during the economic collapse of 2008 and 2009), we have seen a trend of schools cutting music programs.

At the same time, many schools adopted the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which provides details of what students should know by the time they complete each school grade. Many schools also adopted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs. I am in favor of STEM programs, but we cannot forget music. When schools adopted these initiatives and programs, there were programs that were alienated, such as music.

According to the National Association of Music Education (NAfME), there are many benefits to students who are involved in music. Some of these include:

1.    Students learn to improve their work

2.    Kids stay engaged in school

3.    Better SAT scores

4.    Preparation for the creative economy

5.    Kids can learn teamwork 

The only ones mentioned here are mostly related to success academically and in the workplace. Other areas of how music benefits education for students will be explained later. The workplace requires innovation and development, teamwork, and more. Students involved learn how to work hard, strive for achievement, and prepare for the real world. 

In 2013, Thomas Südhof won the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine, and he credits a lot of his success to his bassoon teacher. 

Unfortunately, scores have dropped on exams all over the nation. In October 2018, ACT released a report about how students fared on the exam, and ACT says that student scores dropped. The scores have continued to drop with the COVID-19 pandemic and students not in school. Just imagine not being with other students when it comes to music classes. While ACT does not necessarily determine how students will do in the future, this shows that there is a problem with the education system. Scores have been dropping since the implementation of common core and have continued to worsen when students could not go to school during COVID-19.

As stated earlier, there are many factors in the fall of educational standards. We see these clearly in our test scores. 

We have also seen a decline in music since Common Core and new testing standards. Students are not participating that much anymore, many music organizations and groups close up or struggle to survive, etc. While not confirmed and a topic that should be researched more: Is there a correlation between decline in education and decline in music? 

Everyone believes that there needs to be a change to our schools in one way or another, whether that is better transparency in how tax dollars are being spent (the Park City District School Board authorized $870,000 on a home for a superintendent), what and how our students are learning, what kind of training is needed, how can families be more involved, and more.  

Freedom of Thought and Indoctrination in Our Schools 

There is also another issue facing this nation today besides students suffering academically in schools. We do not just see tests scores and academic records fall in our schools, but we also see the decline of thinking for oneself and indoctrination in our schools. 

Politically divisive ideology including critical race theory, gender ideology, and sexually explicit content have plagued our classrooms. These are supposedly meant to teach students acceptance and tolerance, but instead they have caused division. I believe that music has taught many acceptance and tolerance more than politically divisive ideology in the classrooms ever will.

Back to the NAfME article, here are some other benefits mentioned that those with music experience have: 

1.    Success in society 

2.    A sense of achievement

3.    Development in creative thinking

4.    Music builds imagination and intellectual curiosity 

5.    Music can be relaxing

6.    Musical instruments can teach discipline

7.    Emotional development 

8.    Responsible risk-taking

9.    Better self-confidence 

Many people see that there are issues of bias and indoctrination in schools. There are teachers and students who do not like to hear ideas that are different from their own. While there are more examples of left-leaning ideology being pushed in the classroom, this is not a liberal or conservative issue. This is simply an issue of free-thinking and behavior. 

Musicians are known to be innovators and be curious about the world. While they are confident, they are also empathetic to others and willing to hear what their views are. Musicians are open-minded and look at the world in a positive manner. They are also go-getters and risk-takers, but they also are responsible for themselves. Musicians have to be disciplined in what they do, and that also means their behavior. 

Today, we see people in our schools and college campuses “scream” or be “frightened” when someone has a different opinion, especially on contentious issues. While there is a difference between someone inciting or causing harm to someone else versus someone freely expressing him/herself, students should 1. Have a discussion with that person (no matter the side of the political spectrum) or 2. ignore it.***

My friend who studied music and business in college told me, “The decline of music, as with all arts and the humanities, are symptoms of the greater problem of Cultural Marxism in academia. This post-modernist agenda wishes to destroy and confuse what is good about the arts.”

Responsibility and discipline are characteristics we often see in musicians. No, they do not need to be an Interlochen Arts Academy student or in the Vienna Boys’ Choir to display responsibility and discipline (the Vienna Boys’ Choir is debatable, but that is a story for another time). 

Is it because we have taken music out of schools that we have seen more erratic behavior from students over time? Why are parents not getting their children involved with music as much?

Of course, music lessons are expensive, but there are programs out there that enable students to be part of an orchestra, band, or choir for a small price or for free. There are companies that rent out instruments to students and many times are under $20 (sometimes schools even have rental instruments).

What is music all about? Is it about ideology or beauty? Is it about both? Why do we always have to insert politics into music? Of course, there are stories music stories which are influenced by history and politics, but it is not always about that. 

Isn’t music supposed to be what unifies us as people? Music teaches us acceptance and tolerance, and that is acceptance and tolerance in our words AND actions. It is not enough that we say we love others, but we have to show it to them. This also means loving someone else even if you disagree with them and even if they are wrong. 

Culture War and School Choice

Without any doubt, conservatives need to do better talking about music. Us conservatives talk about lowering taxes, fighting for family values and freedom, protecting our guns, and defending our Constitution.

As my friend said said this is a battle that needs to be won in the culture war. It is not an issue that should be fought among conservatives, liberals, libertarians, Democrats, Republicans, etc. 

Right now, conservatives are painted as the people who do not support music and the arts in general, because we want to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and other government programs. Many of us support music. Did you know David Koch was a major patron of the arts (I am using conservative loosely here as many sources consider David Koch conservative, but not many conservatives consider him conservative or even libertarian). The Lincoln Center in New York City also receives more funding from private donors than public funding. 

Now many of us agree that it is sad when music companies and organizations dissolve because there is not enough money. In fact, so many of these companies and organizations thrive on their ticket sales and donors. When the economy is bad a lot of budget cuts take place, people cannot donate as much money, and financial prioritization has to happen. There is always the question of how much government funding these organization and companies should receive, and if they should receive any at all (especially if they are well known companies/organizations). 

COVID-19 did shut down a lot of businesses and music groups at no fault of their own, and many of them received business loans from COVID-19 relief bills. While I am not a fan of bailouts from the government, state and local governments forced many businesses to close, and I consider it okay that they took out the loans. These are different from student loans, where students chose to take them out. This is another issue for another time because I believe there are free-market solutions to help students pay back student loans.

Conservatives and Republicans need to do better at discussing music. In state legislatures around the country, I always the Democrats talking about the importance of the music. I know there are a lot of Republicans in favor of supporting the music, as well, but they are not as vocal. It is important to care about the economic issues, family values and freedom, and defending our Constitution, but we are not talking about music as much anymore. Even if it is not all about funding music, we should be talking about it.

Now about having music in our schools, is it something that we need to spend money on and cut other unnecessary programs that do not work? Music has clearly had an impact on many students. Would funding music in schools be better than funding a failing sports program or giving expensive homes to school district superintendents?

The American Preparatory Academy String Orchestra (my sister’s old orchestra) got to perform at Carnegie Hall back in 2017, and very few students (and even people) get that opportunity.

There are a lot of teachers who pay out of pocket for school materials or have to fundraise on their own. It all goes back to how the money is being spent in schools, and fellow conservatives should be talking about spending and cutting back on bad spending.

Many people on all sides of the political spectrum are in favor of the STEM, career, mentorship, etc. programs. Time and time again, there has been funding go to failing sports programs instead of thriving music programs. There are schools with failing sports programs with thriving debate programs, and the school gives the money to the sports programs instead. There is nothing wrong with participating in sports, it is just about prioritizing where the money goes.

I am also not against public school funding, but I am in favor of money following students instead of systems. In fact with education funding accounts in several states, families have been able to send their children to school wherever they want, even to a school with a strong music program. The rest of the funds will go back to public schools. It is not taking funding away from public schools, but giving back money for less students. More states are in need of these Education Savings Accounts.

I also mentioned a school district superintendent getting house using taxpayer dollars. The school district where I live (Clark County, Nevada), the superintendent makes $395,000, $5,000 less than the president, and many people consider him ineffective.

Of course, the United States is not Austria, Italy, or the United Kingdom where the music important to their cultures. Maybe it is time to prioritize the music society; there are benefits to it socially, culturally, mentally, and even physically. It does not have to be all about the federal government funding all of it, but even just having it in our culture. 

Conservatives and Republicans need to do better having conversations about music, because it clearly impacts us as human beings. We learn to respect each other and our different opinions, learn from others, have civil conversations with each other, etc. It should not be a be a liberal, conservative, Republican, or Democrat issue. It is a cultural issue, one we so desperately need to win. 

Whether people end up in music or not as a career, it is what makes us creative; it is what helps us become free-thinkers and innovators. It is all about the future and changing it for the better. 

Closing Thoughts

There is a decline in our culture and a decline in our society. There is a decline in our education and a decline in the importance of families. If music is about connecting us as people and inspiring the future leaders and innovators, why are they not as important as before? 

I clearly do not have all the answers, but music teaches us a lot and prepares us for the real world. Some of the smartest and most successful people I know have been involved music, as a listener or performer. 

I do not know where I would be without music being a part of my life. At a young age, I had trouble focusing in school, but if it had not been for music, I would not have overcome those attention issues. Music has pushed the liberty warrior in me and my drive to improve education policy. It taught me how to be creative and innovative, and learn from others. Besides those, I have learned empathy and love for others, service and true compassion, and curiosity and how to think for myself. 

Music taught me a lot that I did not learn in school. Of course, it is God who gives us the gift of life and thought, and wants us to use our minds wisely. 

I studied business administration and am a former vocal performance major (only my first year in college). This is a subject that means a lot to me, especially with how it can be useful for the future of our country.