Why Music Classes Deserve More of an Emphasis by Renee

Why Music Classes Deserve More of an Emphasis by Renee - November 2021 Scholarship Essay

If you ask me, music classes deserve more emphasis in school. In my middle school, you were required to take at least two years of either orchestra, band, or choir, and then you could drop it whenever you wanted after that. Most kids stayed in it all through middle school and one year of high school, filling the credit that was needed for extracurricular classes. However, many kids discovered a love for music in those first two years, and also made many friends during their times in the music class of their choice.

Music classes being a requirement did make a few kids upset. They didn't want to waste their time playing a clarinet or viola or sitting in a chair and singing do re mi, they wanted to sit in study hall and finish their homework so they could hang out with friends after school. The music being forced on them was not a good move.

The kids that joined music classes because they genuinely wanted to were the happiest kids I met during school. They were genuinely happy playing Frosty the Snowman in the middle of summer and took pride in hauling their instruments onto the bus and crowding into a seat with their friends to talk and laugh about the tunes they were playing or singing that day.

For me, music classes were the place where I gained confidence. I didn't talk much during classes, and I had no plans to stand up in front of the class and give speeches at first, but I was happy to play loudly and laugh at my mistakes in front of a band class. I don't know what the difference was, but my brain sure seemed to make one, and the anxiety would happily retreat for the 45 minutes a day that I would be sitting in my chair and playing some tunes.

I also made a majority of my friends in my music classes. While students were often scolded for talking in English or Math, the band teachers were happy to let people socialize for a few minutes while helping a certain section find the correct note to hit. People loved to tell each other how good they sounded, or how cool they thought their instruments looked but they hadn't been able to make a sound out of it when they had tested the instruments out. Bonding was sneaking into the storage cubbies after school to make funny noises on each other's mouthpieces, or attempt to learn how to hold a flute.

Being in the school's band and other music classes helped me a lot in middle and high school, and I was able to make friends, be more confident, and even realized that I wanted to go into a career in music now that I am in college. Music is what made me happy when going through middle and high school, which were tough times for myself and many others, and I wish there was more of an emphasis on how much it can help people and encourage people every day.