On May 4, the House approved, 402-0, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 380) recognizing the benefits and importance of school-based music education. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) sponsored the resolution.
According to the resolution, “School music programs enhance intellectual development and enrich the academic environment for students of all ages.” The resolution notes that students who participate in school music programs are less likely to be involved in drugs, gangs, or alcohol. The resolution also notes that most students attending public schools in inner-city neighborhoods “have virtually no access to music education, which places them at a disadvantage compared to their peers in other communities.” Finally, the resolution states, “It is the sense of the Congress that music education grounded in rigorous instruction is an important component of a well-rounded academic curriculum and should be available to every student in every school.”
Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) said that research “has shown that students’ involvement in their school music program is critical to a complete education. Musical study develops critical thinking and self-discipline skills, and improves a child’s early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities, self-esteem, SAT scores, ability to work in teams, spatial reasoning skills, and school attendance.” Quoting former President Gerald Ford, he concluded, “Music education opens the doors that help children pass from school [to] the world around them, a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our Nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.”
Highlighting the importance of music education, Rep. Cooper stated, “When our Founders started talking about the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, surely in the pursuit of happiness, they were talking about music. Music is literally the joy of life, the soundtrack of our lives. It accompanies our most important and most intimate moments. Whether it is a tune or a lyric that you carry in your heart forever, that is an important part of being fully human. It is also an important part of our educational system.”
