Why should we preserve

music education?
And how do we preserve music education?

By: Kellie Joyner, Rosy Faires, and Lea Mitchem

An overview of music education in the public school
● In elementary school, children are exposed to general
music. This includes singing, learning to clap rhythm,
and improvising on some percussion instruments.
● In middle school, general music can continue, but usually
children are given the option to join a beginning band.
Here, the ability to read music and play an instrument is
developed.
● In high school, children are given the option of marching
band. No beginning band. Children put on concerts and
attend festivals for state ratings.
 An overview of a 150 person program: Marching band
● Hornline: 80 people
● This is an example of a “hornline” or any of the marching wind
instruments
● Yamaha marching tuba:$7,000
● Yamaha marching baritone:$3,000
● Yamaha marching mellophone:$3,000
● Yamaha trumpet: $2,800
● Average cost of a New Uniform: $500
● Source: Crown Store used marching brass

Figure 1: Carolina Crown 2015 Hornline

Marching band continued
● Color Guard
● Consists of elaborate uniforms, flags, sabers, and rifles
● Source: DSI
● One rifle: $40
● One solid silk: $10-$20 (3 on average
per show concept)
● Sabre $50-$100
● Uniforms: $200
● Usually 20-40 people in the average
colorguard

Figure 2: Blue Devils Color Guard 2015

Source: SocImage
Marching band continued Figure 3: Cavaliers drumline
1987

● Drumline/Pit
● Marimba: $5,000
● Xylophone: $4,500
● Vibraphone: $8,000
● Snare drum: $600
● Bass drum: $500
● Quads: $1,200
● Source: Woodwind Brasswind

One full drumline has 8 snares, 4 quads, and 5 basses. Pit is usually another
10-15 people
An overview of a 150 person program: Concert band
● Flutes* - $1,500
● Clarinet* - $1,300
● Oboe - $3,000
● Bassoon - $20,000
● Bass Clarinet - $2,000
● Alto Saxophone* - $2,500
● Tenor Saxophone - $2,800
● Bari Saxophone - $5,600
● Trumpet* - $2,500
● French Horn - $3,000
● Euphonium*- $2,500
● Trombone*-$2,000
● Tuba- $7,000
● Percussion* - Depends on
instrument Figure 4: Virginia Concert Band
● Source: Musician’s Friend Source: music.virginia.edu
The state of nc needs work
● NC is currently ranked 40th in the state for funding for students. Only a
decade ago, they were in the top 20. It’s poor ranking is due to deep
budget cuts. (Dollar for the arts)
● NC ranks 35th for teacher pay nationwide. The average last year was
$49,837. This is about $9,000 under the national average.
● NC art grants currently total $6.3 million, or about $0.63 per person
● There is a grassroots base of about $6,000 for each county. This includes
all schools within that county (Arts NC)

Figure 5: State of North Carolina Map

Source: NC State Website
Teacher salary comparative to the rest of the country

Figure 6: Estimated average annual salary of teachers

Well, how do they get the money they need then?
● Student fundraising
○ i.e. band fruit, chocolate bars, car washes, and mattress sales are
just a few common fundraisers.
● Student working
● Donations from businesses or parents
● Marching Band Competitions
○ If a highschool hosts marching band competition this is a large
fundraiser but comes with an extensive upfront cost and planning.
○ Months of planning and collecting items goes into this event, along
with pulling enough volunteer parents together to run this event
○ i.e. we collected sodas about a month before our competition as they
were our biggest seller. We also did raffle baskets and bake sales.
Why should i care? What do the arts actually teach?
● Creativity and “Outside of the box” thinking
● Challenges the way one views the world
● Creates a stronger sense of empathy in a child as they
are exposed to more kids.
● Music is a lot of unspoken communication
● Teachers respect, perseverance, and a sense of
responsibility to hold one's self to a certain standard
● Art instruction is reported to improve school climate
● Associated with increased attendance and participation
Well, they are proven to show a boost in intelligence
● Increase spatial-temporal skills
● New neurological connections in the brain
● Proven increase in fine motor skills
● Can improve long term memory and lead to better brain
development in young children (The Benefits Of Music
Education)
And grades
● Researchers can’t decipher if music makes people smarter
or if smart people are naturally drawn to music
● What we do know is that music builds incredible problem
solving abilities, uses critical thinking, teaches
multitasking, and overall develops focus.
● It doesn’t exactly boost IQ, but it develops the traits
needed to be a successful student
But overall, the arts build character
● Teamwork
● Individual responsibility
● Taking criticism
● Learning information and being
able to apply it instantly
● Perseverance
● Integrity
● Attention to detail
● Leadership
● Punctuality
● Respect for authority
Figure 7: UNC Charlotte PNNMB Logo
Source: uncc.edu
Does the benefit come from participating, or Just
listening?
Playing an instrument:

● Increases grey matter in the brain

○ Grey matter is the darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord,
consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites
● Develops a larger corpus callosum
● Enhances:
○ Verbal memory
○ Spatial reasoning
○ Literacy skills
● (Inc.org)
Does the benefit come from participating, or just
listening?
Benefits continued:

● Helps speech processing and learning in children with dyslexia

● Can protect the brain against dementia
● Increases dopamine
● Reduces stress and depression (when done as a hobby, just ask a music
major this time of year)
● Strengthens the brain’s executive function
○ Retaining information
○ Controlling behavior
○ Making
○ Problem solving
○ (INC.org)
● Ted-ED
How quickly has support and involvement in the arts
declined?
From 1991-2010

● 8th Grade
○ 55%-46%
● 10th Grade
○ 36%-42%
● 12th Grade
○ 41%-37%
● (Marick Group)

Figure 5: Bar Graph

Source: Mitchem, Lea
And how can we get more people to participate?
● Teach music of all cultures, not just Western
● Teach ensembles and individual instruments, such as
guitar or piano
● Incorporate technology into music, such as composing on
an iPad
● Let students chose the music they want to perform
● Get rid of the social stigma around the arts
we need more teachers. They’re disappearing from NC.
● 42nd in teacher pay
● 46th in amount spent per pupil
● Enrollment in education programs across the UNC system is
down 30 percent since 2010 (Public School’s First NC)
Figure 6: Enrollment of Education Majors by Program Level
Source: Public Schools First NC
We need to view the arts as more than a booster to
other subjects
● Art and music are everywhere in society
● Expresses one’s self and culture
● Form of expressive communication
● We shouldn’t think of subjects in terms of their value to
other subjects
● Art/music is some of the first experiences one has in
life
○ “early communication takes the form of cooing, chanting, moving limbs, and making
soothing sounds, a personal musical world begins to take shape.” - Colin Trevarthen
Figure 7: Infographic of the value of Art and culture
Source: Arts Council England
What’s it like being a music major?
● Stigma around art majors in general
○ Lack of Job Opportunities
○ Major Time commitment with possible little return
○ Lesser than STEM majors
● Practicing for hours (Minimum one hour a day, not including 80 minute
ensembles or private lessons)
● Classes on music theory (four levels, and then their corresponding level
of aural skills)
● Learning how to develop specific hearing
● Learning to sing
● Private lessons once a week
● Education Classes
● History Classes
Who cares?
“And my career, the things that have happened have happened because of my music education
background.” - Jon Secada

“Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm

and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul” – Plato
Figure 8: Painting of Plato
Source: Laphams Quarterly

“Some people think music education is a privilege, but I think it's essential to being
human.” - Jewel

“I can not imagine my life if I didn't have a music program in my school.”

- Beyonce

Figure 9: Photo of Beyonce

Source: Vainty.com
How can I help?
● Support Support Support
● Donate or participate in fundraisers
● Attend concerts
● As a parent, get involved on the school board
● Support teachers first and foremost, we couldn’t do it
without them
Figure 10: Meme
Source: Memegenerator
 Sources
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www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education/.
Cassell, Donald. “Lack of Funding for Music Education.” University of Oregon Sites,
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“The Importance of Music Within Society by Daniel Zambas – Ragged University.” Ragged University, 27 Feb. 2018,
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“Instruments.” The CrownSTORE, www.thecrownstore.com/categories/Musical-Instruments/.
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WRAL. “NC Ranks 35th in Nation for Teacher Pay; 43rd in per-Pupil Spending.” WRAL.com, 10 May 2017,
www.wral.com/nc-ranks-35th-in-nation-for-teacher-pay-ranked-41st-last-year/16693105/.
WRAL. “Study Ranks NC Public Schools 40th in Nation, Citing Insufficient Funding.” WRAL.com, 23 Jan. 2018,
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