When I first got into HSMSE, my biggest hesitation wasn’t the heavy workload or STEM focus, but the lack of music classes available. I have played instruments almost my entire life and wanted a way to incorporate my love of music into my schoolwork. Before high school, I’d never really had access to formal music education; aside from a kindergarten class, my elementary and middle schools didn’t offer any music classes. HSMSE has tons of options for STEM classes, and as someone who loves STEM, I really enjoyed all of the niche STEM classes I was able to take here; yet so many students at our school are interested in the arts and humanities and want to be involved in music during the school day as well.
Music is hugely important for creativity and self-expression for students of all ages. Music has been a part of school curricula since the early 1900s, though music education (separate from the school curriculum) has existed in the U.S. since the 1800s—when it was formally established. The music curriculum was relatively static up until the 1970s, when comprehensive musicianship began to be introduced. Comprehensive musicianship follows the idea that music is more than just playing the correct notes and involves knowledge of theory, creativity, and music history to create a more holistic education. This type of music education helped integrate music into society and other aspects of education. Music is vital for creative expression in schools and therefore society.

There are also many known benefits of music universally. According to an article by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, “studies of middle and high school students consistently find that sustained participation in school music programs is associated with improved academic outcomes, higher standardized test scores, and stronger executive function. In one national survey, 87 percent of teachers and 79 percent of parents said they believe music education positively affects students’ academic performance.”

Vast economic and racial disparities also exist in music education. Nationally, over 3.6 million students lack access to music education. Students in high-poverty schools, large urban districts, and communities with high populations of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students are significantly more likely to lack this access.

According to the study “The transformative power of music: Insights into neuroplasticity, health, and disease,” music has an immense power to “elicit profound emotional and cognitive responses.” Music also has a therapeutic potential to grant easier access to brain functions. This research strongly supports the claim that more music education should be present in schools, claiming that “music training can bring about structural and functional changes in the brain, and studies have shown its positive effects on social bonding, cognitive abilities, and language processing.”

The Echo interviewed Ms. Brown to get her insights on music and music education. She says that music is important for high school students because “[it] provides a unique way for them to express themselves as different from, say, an essay or a work of art. So I think it’s important because it accesses different parts of the brain.” She discussed how a lot of the limitations on having a more robust music program at our school are time and class-size constraints.
Ms. Brown teaches [electives] and advises [clubs]. She said she would love to teach more specific music classes that give students the opportunity to learn an instrument, “but since we don’t have that, to be able to provide the student the ability to compose a flute piece on the computer that sounds like the flute, that gives them that experience of ‘I want to create a piece of music that expresses my feeling on a spring morning, and the birds are chirping and the breeze is blowing’—I just think that’s a worthy cause.” Our school does have other options to learn instruments though, such as electives or bands and ensembles outside of school.

So, what can we do to integrate music more into our school community? Especially at such a small school, we don’t have that much access to tons of music classes. I learned that if class sizes stay small next year, Ms. Brown “could definitely see us having guitar instruction included in that for music class because there’s enough room for the guitar, the music stand. We have the books, we have the resources. But in the past, when we’ve had 34 students in the core music class, there [was] not enough room.” In addition, she was interested in the idea of having music history or other more cross-disciplinary classes to encourage more of a holistic music education. For example, adding classes on music history, composition, or even music technology would be beneficial for students. Ms. Brown also emphasized that the main way to build up a more robust music program is through more student interest. She would love to see more students committed to music, and see more interest and involvement at our school.

I have loved combining my interests in various STEM fields with music, and have found a lot of interesting connections between the subjects as well as new creative outlets in the process. HSMSE does have a lot of strong music groups and ensembles such as the Jazz Band, the Rock Band, and the Guitar Ensemble. Creating more opportunities for music at HSMSE would allow students to step outside their usual interests, try new things, and experience how different subjects can work together in meaningful and interdisciplinary ways.

If you are reading this article and have ideas about a music ensemble or class you are interested in taking, please contact Ms. Brown at [email protected].