A Class Deserving of Emphasis by Morgan

A Class Deserving of Emphasis by Morgan - November 2021 Scholarship Essay

High school classes are something that are mostly universal. Every student picks their favorite, and goes about the rest of high school trying to take as many of that class as they can. Of course their general classes are popular candidates for students’ favorites. High school students across the nation take English, Math, Social Studies, and Science classes from the time they are in elementary school.
But, I believe there are other classes that deserve more emphasis than they get in the American Education System. You may be thinking “Ah, she means a gym class” or “Oh, FACS is a good thing to give more emphasis on!” But no, I think there is another, or rather, a set of others, that deserves more attention.
I believe that the American Education System should put more emphasis into music classes. Specifically band and/or symphony classes could use more attention. Studies such as “Musicians use both sides of their brains more frequently than average people” from Vanderbilt University states that musicians use both sides of the brain more often than most people. The reason for this being that a musician must read the written music, a typically left hemisphere dominated activity, while at the same time physically moving their hands to play their instruments, a right hemisphere activity. Musicians do both of these things simultaneously.
Now, you may be thinking, “Why does this matter if they can do this while they play?” But, the processes musicians use to play continues on in their daily lives. Musicians problem solve with both sides of their brains in everyday problems.
Students who don’t take a band or orchestra class (assuming they aren’t playing outside of school), aren’t going to have this way of thinking. It’s been proven to help with classes like math.
With this knowledge, if I could choose what class to add more emphasis in school on, I would always choose a music class. All music, but specifically band/orchestra classes.
Now, how can we give music classes more emphasis? There are a few ways. Schools could make the classes more accessible for students simply by showing them what the music classes entail. Supplying instruments for students who financially cannot get one of their own. Taking the time to teach students techniques for vocal exercises young. If you want student involvement, you need to keep the classes interesting. And what better way to do that than to show support for the musicians? In the same way school athletes are praised, show that appreciation to the musicians. Give them a chance to have their moment. This will bring in more interest to the program.
Along with the mental aspects of music, there are still other reasons it deserves more emphasis in school. The opportunities you are offered when you are in a music program. From festivals to summer camps. Performing in front of audiences and testing your skills in front of judges. There are countless scholarships in music programs that are left sitting unused because there simply aren’t students applying for them.
There are also the bonds you form through music. You have to learn teamwork for a piece to work, but you also need to know who needs to shine in a moment. Music is about balance, and most of the time it’s an unspoken agreement between the musicians to have that balance. Music will teach you what your stong-suits are, and how to make them useful, as well as using others.
All of these things, and many more personal or scientific reasons can be argued for or against when talking about emphasizing music programs. But, at the end of the day, my opinion remains the same. Music classes offer a different way to think, provide opportunities for advancement outside of school, and help you to grow with a team. Thus, music deserves more emphasis in the American Education System.