[Dixielandjazz] Why Teach Music?

[Stephen G Barbone]

One of the first courses dropped by schools these days of budgetary crunches is music. "Why teach music" the uninformed ask "when there are more important courses like Science and Math?"

MUSIC IS SCIENCE: It demands specific acoustics. A conductor's full score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, volume changes, melody and harmony, all at once and with the most exact control of time.

MUSIC IS MATHEMATICS: It is rhythmically based on the subdivision of time in to fractions which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper. Its harmonies are also mathematically based on thirds, fifths, sevenths, etc.

MUSIC IS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Most of the terms are in Italian, German or French, and the notation is a highly developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language. Plus, many songs studied are from other cultures.

MUSIC IS PHYSICAL EDUCATION: It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips cheeks and facial muscles, in addition to extraordinary control of diaphragm, back stomach and chest muscles, which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.

MUSIC IS ART: It allows humans to take all these dry, technically boring (but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion. That is one thing science cannot duplicate, humanism, feeling, emotion.

Why indeed?

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband