Music is the universal language and learning an instrument heightens one’s cultural awareness. It also brings physiological benefits, especially in children, that make it worthwhile for schools to devote more funding into music education.

Dozens of scientific studies point to music education’s benefit to developing brains.

Children who learn to play an instrument see improved memory, larger vocabularies, a better grip on grammar concepts, improved fine motor skills and higher aptitude for processing large amounts of information at once.

The music room also serves as a crucial place for socialization.

Music often requires teamwork, communication and the ability to read cues from others to play a piece of music harmoniously. Moreover, music creates a space where students can express themselves with their peers and fosters empathy. Not to mention, it’s one of few settings in schools where students get to sit and interact with one another at a deeper level than simple group work.

We are at a perilous time for the state of public education in the U.S., and Pennsylvania is no different. This year’s basic education funding budget, which allots funding to all of the state’s 500 public school districts, saw an increase of only 0.70% over last year’s budget, and music departments must fight for their share of these funds alongside other line expenditures including operations costs, compliance costs, textbooks and other materials, security, transportation and all of the other extracurricular activities a school offers.

That the benefits to music education are well known is reason enough for schools to direct funding into it. Local schools would do well to look into further options for music funding.

There are dozens of grants at the federal, state and local levels focusing on the arts, and getting students into music rooms will lead to better preparedness for other classes and acclimate them for a lifetime of learning.

— BR