Fort Huachuca, Arizona - Students from General Myer Elementary School gathered in the school cafeteria March 20 for a concert featuring Fort Huachuca's Military Intelligence Corps Band in celebration for March's Music in Schools Month.
The annual celebration of music in schools aims to engage music educators, students and communities from around the country in promoting the benefits of high quality music education programs in schools. The event is promoted through the National Association for Music Education. NAME has been promoting music in schools month since 1973.
According to NAME's website, www.name.org, "The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children -- and to remind citizens that schools is where all children should have access to music."
Valerie Quarto, principal of General Myer Elementary School, believes that "one of the things that is very important is for our students have a balanced education. We want them to have experiences in music and in the arts."
Concerning the performance, Quarto further explained, "We, of course, have music class [in which students] sing and we have a choir. But this is that connection to the adult world -- the real-world authentic profession that you can have as a musician."
Karl Balandovich, the music teacher at Colonel Johnston Elementary and at General Myer Elementary Schools, believes music is important. He explained that having Fort Huachuca's Military Intelligence Corps Band come to play in the cafeteria allows "students to get a chance to see the professionals and [become more familiar] with the instruments, which is what we're working on [in music class] right now."
Balandovich quoted Plato, explaining, "[He] would teach children music, physics, and philosophy -- but most importantly, music -- for the patterns in music and all the arts are keys to learning."
According to the National Association for Music Merchants, an organization whose mission is to strengthen the music products industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music, "Those who major in music are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school." Also, "Students who were exposed to music-based lessons scored a full 100 percent higher on fractions tests than those who learned in the conventional manner."
"Music and math are so tied together," Balandovich said. "A lot of kids cannot express themselves in the subjects they're learning, but putting something to music … using music to learn times tables or to understand the
Social Sharing