Music Expression

By Liza Wondra

12th grade

Music is proven to express feelings, create a learning environment, and serve as an activity to keep students out of trouble. I see all positives coming from music, therefore I believe we should open more music opportunities to young people. Music will help the children of today. They are our future.

Music is used in expressing feelings and as an escape from the problems of a bad day. In singing a song or "cranking it up" on the radio, music lets out emotions that get built up inside throughout the day. Whether good or bad, it is a release for the body.

Perhaps if more students were able to be involved in music and had the chance to learn about releasing feelings through song, there wouldn't be as many school shootings. If students could have known that there was a way to send their message or get the attention they needed through music, maybe they wouldn't have shot their anger and pain through a gun.

We must keep music in the schools for that reason alone, but even more related to school is the fact that students who are involved in music do better in their classes. Young people are able to stay focused on music instead of getting into trouble, and they learn life's lessons about setting goals and achieving them.

Music has also proven to help students in all areas of school. The two most easily recognized subjects are English and history. When reading music one must learn how to pronounce words not only in English, but also in other languages, too. Students also learn the definitions of words, expanding their knowledge in vocabulary. Reading, of course, comes with music, and if musicians started to get into writing their own music, that in itself would have to be an improvement in the English classroom.

As for history, the students must understand where the music comes from, who wrote it, what country is it from, what language, and other general information in order to really perform the song. To fully understand the piece of music, one must first understand why the composer wrote it and what the composer got out of it when the piece of music was written. How can musicians sing a spiritual piece written in the times of slavery if they don't study slavery and really know what it was all about? That is history.

To relate math and science is a little more difficult simply because it's not as easy to understand. Part of the math is counting out rhythms, adding them up or dividing them to make the rhythms understandable. Math is also the equation to make a song come live. Take a piece of music, find the history of the music, plus the emotion, and the sum of this equation will equal a performance that will stay in the hearts and minds of all who hear it.

Science is a little harder to explain, but some scientists believe that everything is made from string. Just one little piece of string created everything we know today. Scientists use music to explain this string theory by using the strings on a guitar or violin. Just as each string on a violin moves differently and creates its own wave of music, each string in an atom creates its own wave making up the universe as we know it today.

In all of these classes, students also get help from music by learning that anything is possible, but that they have to work hard at it to learn it. Learning takes practice. Students learn this before they even enter the schools. Children learn the alphabet, colors, numbers, and their manners through song.

Music is so important in schools today, but it is being lowered on the educational priority list. Classes, extra classes, and sports are being put higher, but as mentioned before, music helps students understand their classes better.

I have two extra music classes, and I'm getting myself involved in every music opportunity I can get my hands on. I am realizing that music also provides me with a better behavior towards other people and myself. It takes a lot of work and determination to understand music, and it takes up my time, keeping me out of trouble. I'm focused on other activities, and I've realized that I can set any goal in life and accomplish it.

I will continue to work hard in this area and continually tell people about all the good opportunities music has to offer. I can't imagine a world without music, and I don't want anyone else to know what that would be like. I may not know where I'll end up in life, but I do know that wherever I go, I will pass my knowledge on to others.

Music itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakable tender hand, placed beside another thread, and held and carried by a thousand others.