Music: A Connection for the Disconnected

A case for music in education.

Amy Becker Photography. Evan and his Guitar. Digital Image. 2014

“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”

― William James

            It is easy to disconnect from the world around you. It happens everyday through loss, love, and depression, through fear, anger and anxiety, and through diseases, disorders and syndromes. But, as James says, the connections that we lose are merely superficial, and that no matter how far we may drift from the archipelagos that define normality, sanity and precedent, our connections lie much deeper than the feelings we can control; they lie in those that we cannot.

            It is with grave sadness that I present to you the fact that these connections, which lie deep within our souls, are being threatened by education cuts. When the economy takes a hit, the education system fights to preserve STEM classes (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at the expense of the fine arts (music, art etc). Currently, many school districts are dropping music teachers and music programs, leaving children without music instruction at a time in their life where previous generations were exposed to the power of its study (Tan). The result of this loss in opportunity and experience may have more profound effects than what can be measured by standardized testing.

            To explore this relationship, I looked to my brother Evan Merrell. Music reaches Evan in ways I am at lack of words to describe. When Evan looks to music, it is not just as an academic endeavor or pleasurable experience, but rather a physical entity that moves and changes him; an experience I have never felt within myself.

            Evan, soon to be 18 years old, has experienced a life quite different from ordinary. Prior to Evans birth, the doctors were worried that he was going to have Down syndrome because of atypical results from a pre-natal screening. To investigate their concerns, they performed an amniocentesis to look for any abnormalities in his chromosomes, in which they found none.  Relieved by the negative test results, our mother went into delivery with peace of mind. Upon Evan’s arrival to our world, my mother says they knew immediately something was abnormal. At birth, Evan was a tiny baby with lots of dark hair, a high palette, beaked nose, broad thumbs and toes, a melody of features unfamiliar to the doctors in our area. After careful evaluation by professionals in the Kennedy-Kreiger Institute at Johns Hopkins, Evan was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, an extremely uncommon syndrome estimated to affect 1 in 100,000 to 125,000 newborns (“Rubinstein”). Evan’s prognosis remained unknown. An aspect of the syndrome involves cognitive impairment and growth deficiencies, mainly in stature. These disabilities presented issues for his ability to learn. To combat these attributes, it was decided that Evan would begin his academic immersion at age 4 through home therapy and a full-day early intervention program for physical therapy, occupational therapy and special training. It is safe to say that Evan’s therapy has helped him tremendously and is reflective in his current abilities. Evan presently is a senior in high school participating in a “pushed in to tolerance” program, which allows him to attend normal classes during days in which he can maintain stable social interactions. Evan has found a deep connection with music, and participates in many musical programs, including an entertainment industry class at his homeschool and a summer program with Sub Cat Studios.  Evan takes weekly piano lessons and explores music through the guitar, accordion and kazoo. Evan’s account of music in relation to his success as an individual is an ode to ability of our innate self to reconnect with the world around us.

            It was decided, that a stable social environment to conduct our interview could include any of the sit down restaurants in the area. So on a chilly, drizzly, Thursday evening, we (my mother, my brother and I) met at the Bonefish Grill in Fayetteville, NY.  As we exchanged greetings and excitement for dinner, Evan rocked anxiously in the back seat of her minivan. As Evan exited the car and approached the building he walked faster than both my mother and I, an exertion of his independence. Pushing through the heavy tinted rotating door with the help of my mother, Evan peered into the dimly lit social ambiance and ignited with sensory conflict. As he stepped carefully into this unfamiliar environment, the stability and comfort of something he knew all to well relinquished his insecurities; music. At medium volume, light enough to not interrupt your conversation, but loud enough to recognize the lyrics, “Rain” by Creed shot down from the overhead speakers. Evan picked up on this, and flourished in its presence, closing his eyes briefly and syncing the bob of his head to the beat of the music.

            Still in trance with the music, I interrupt his meditation with a few questions.

Eric “What is music to you?”

Evan “It is my ultimate stress reliever”, “It helps me get out of tough times.”

Eric “What is a tough time?”

Evan “Didn’t do well on a test”

His insight was evident and reflective in his responses to music tonight. Through Evan’s life, and my experience with him, a heavy influence on his emotional outbreaks have been sensory overload.  The American Music Therapy Association states that music presents many advantages for those with special needs, namely: decreased self-stimulation, increased socialization, improved behavior, decreased agitation, and increased attention (“Music Therapy”). But, need we limit the power of music to those with special needs? Are these “benefits” only of value to those we deem “simpler minds’? Could the complexity and intellect of the abled shield them from music’s influence? I say nay; we may be able to control our feelings on the surface, but music strikes a deeper cord, a cord strung deep within our being. Take for example your own life. When was the last time you were at a social event without music? Music increases socialization. When you are experiencing an off day, how many times do you look to music to lighten your mood? Music improves behavior. The benefits of music are universal, have been time tested, and remain relevant.

            The conversation was evolving, and I was continually humbled by his enlightening, yet concise answers. After our meal was served, I waited patiently to interrupt his classic dinner selection: a plate of fries accompanied by a glass of chocolate milk that is pictured below (“Evan”). As I delved into his insights, his answers to a series of questions caught me off guard.

Eric: “If I were to ask you to associate music with one word, what would it be?”

Evan: “funny” “because there are a lot of silly songs in this world”

Eric: “What do you think people will gain from learning music?

Evan: “When they’re going through tough times” “It helps them relieve stress” “Laughter is the best medicine”

Eric: “And what can that do for their lives?”

Evan: “It will change them forever.”

In a TED talk by Robert Gupta, a violinist from the LA Philharmonic, he reflects on his experiences with Nathaniel Ayers, an American cello prodigy who lost his way when afflicted by schizophrenia while attending the Julliard School of Music and became homeless. Gupta offers his interpretation of what music means to Ayers, and how it reconnects him to the world that slipped from below his feet. Gupta comes to the conclusion that “Music is medicine, music changes us, music is sanity” (“Robert Gupta”). Evan and Gupta reach a congruency with the thoughts of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle states that music can fulfill many demands in an individual’s life; especially in it’s stress-relieving attributes. He states, not only can music be used for instruction, but also for purifying the soul and “as an agreeable manner of spending the time and relaxation from the uneasiness of the mind”. Aristotle does not cut his reflection short, but complicates the discussion by later admitting that it is evident passion for music exists in different degrees within people. But, this does not null the argument, for some, the passion that exists in music lies in other activities. Aristotle offers that enthusiasm for a passion is so influential, that it is able to overpower the soul. Indulging in their passions provides a sort of pleasure that restores their persona to tranquility, a medicine for imbalance (Aristotle). Is it fair to limit access to passions in our youth? Where would Nathaniel Ayers be if he did not find music early in life and grasp onto it with the very clasps of his soul? When Nathanial lost his sanity, music kept him grounded.  

Evan did not stop here in his profession of faith for the powers of music. Evan states that music is not just a remedy for human ailment; it is a tool for education.

Eric: “What do you think other people will gain from learning music?”

Evan: “They will gain a better understanding of the history…”

Jamie Myrick, an English teacher, made a statement to Sabrina Holcomb in her article “State of the Arts”, regarding the impact that terminating fine arts in education will have on the students education as a whole. 

 We’re losing the ability to hook our students with what their joy is...That joy is a natural bridge that can transfer over to math, history, and science. The things that are complex and heavy in these subjects become clearer when students do work they have joy in. 

What allows music into the crevices of our being, pulling people together by places that subjects such as math, history and science cannot reach? The Greek philosopher Socrates believed that: 

Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful… ("The Philosophers”).

How do we communicate his insights to the world with strong support from modern findings? Through science. Advances in research methods have allowed scientists to explore the brain’s responses to musical stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a Finnish research group studied how the brain processes the components of music: rhythm, tonality and timbre. The results of their experiment provided sound evidence that the whole brain reacts in response to music, provoking areas associated with not just auditory stimuli, but also motor actions, emotions, and creativity (Vinther). Granted these findings are legitimate, it is no wonder music reaches deeper and connects vaster than other areas of study.

            The STEM field is important for building a foundation for students academic success, however the study of music provides a foundation for life and for some a gateway to advancement in academics that they may not have endeavored otherwise.

Eric: What do you want people who are trying to take music education away from children to know?

Evan: “Stop taking it away.”

Eric: Why should they listen?

Evan: “Because it’s a good influence on peoples lives.”

Evan speaks from his heart on the matter, and does not stand alone in his wishes. A teen newspaper, L.A. Youth, surveyed more than 1,850 teenagers on budget cuts at their schools. When asked “If your schools had to make cuts to save money, what should they cut first?”, the students placed Arts and Music at #7, behind the school newspaper, summer school, field trips, security guards, custodians and the library (Zhao).  By the time this survey was conducted in 2011, California had already faced massive budget cuts ($109 million) in funds planned for music and art programs.  This substantial defunding has resulted in 700,000 fewer students enrolled in music classes as compared to before the budget cuts (Dautch). When schools face decisions on where to cut funds, are the student’s opinions considered? I am going to assume not. Zhao’s article for The Huffington Post states that when the budget reaches the chopping block, school officials plan to start from the bottom of the list, cutting teachers, administrators and guidance counselors first. Wouldn’t you expect these positions to be necessary for maintaining effective education?

The powers of music reach far beyond what it is being made out to be by budget committees. My intentions for interviewing Evan were to gain insight on music education from the perspective of a special needs student. What I came across was something so powerful and out in the open, that I am embarrassed to have missed it.  Terminating music programs in schools will not just impact those with disorder and syndromes, it will impact all of us, because in one way or another we all face disconnection. The roots of music reach deep into the soil that grounds our very being, uniting and supporting us during times of distress and disability. Music is a therapy, a passion, a tool and a medicine. By reducing our youth’s access to its powers, we are compromising their futures and limiting their success. Keep music in our schools,

Evan: “ We need it.”

Works Cited

Aristotle. "Aristotle on Music." Aristotle on Music. Southern Methodist University, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. <http://faculty.smu.edu/jkazez/mol09/AristotleOnMusic.htm>.

Dautch, Leif M. "Calif. Schools Need to Restore Music Education Programs." Education Week. Education Week, 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.      <http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/02/05/20letter-1.h33.html>.

Evan with his classic dinner choice., Bonefish Grill, Fayetteville, NY. Personal photograph by author. 2014.

Holcomb, Sabrina. "State of the Arts." National Education Association. NEA, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nea.org/home/10630.htm>.

"Music Therapy." JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association 162.18 (1956): 1625-626. Music Therapy. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.             <http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/bib_Special_Education.pdf>.

"Robert Gupta: Music Is Medicine, Music Is Sanity." YouTube. TED, 26 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_SBGTJgBGo>.

"Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome." Genetics Home Reference. National Institute of Health, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/rubinstein-taybi-syndrome>.

           

Tan, Sandra. "Buffalo School Music Cuts Hit Sour Note - The Buffalo News." The Buffalo News. N.p., 11 June 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.             <http://www.buffalonews.com/20130611/buffalo_school_music_cuts_hit_sour_note.html>.

"The Philosophers Talk Music." Amazing Discoveries. Amazing Discoveries, 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://amazingdiscoveries.org/S-deception-music_philosophers_culture_plato>.

Vinther, Dann. "How Music Touches the Brain." ScienceNordic. ScienceNordic, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://sciencenordic.com/how-music-touches-brain>.

Zhao, Emmeline. "School Budget Cuts: How Students Say Slashes Are Affecting Them." The Huffington Post. N.p., 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.          <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/la-youth_n_1277182.html>.