Music to the chancellor’s ears?
Rafael, a third-grader at Public School 107 in the South Bronx, marched onto the stage with his classmates for his first recital, took his seat, held his clarinet in rest position, and trained his eyes on the conductor. As he did, his school principal leaned toward me and gasped, “I can’t believe it!”
When I suggested she wait for the music to start, she replied, “I don’t care what they play; I’ve never seen that group of children sit quietly and take instruction from anyone!”
The principal’s reaction was one I have come to expect from educators who witness, for the first time, the potential breadth and power of music’s impact on their students.
I often wonder how our educational priorities might shift if our policy makers and school leaders could all experience firsthand what decades of research have shown, and what the Harmony Program — which I founded to provide music education to underserved students throughout the city — has shown me again and again over the past 10 years.
Namely, that music-making is not just creative entertainment; it is effective at promoting in children improved behavior, academic achievement, healthy social development, and long-term success.
Fortunately, the recent announcement of our new schools chancellor, Richard Carranza, might give us all reason to expect such a shift. An accomplished vocalist, guitarist and former music teacher, Carranza knows the benefits of music study and performance.
Maybe, just maybe, under his leadership, we will finally address the uneven access to music education that has persisted in the city, most acutely in struggling schools, since the fiscal crisis of the mid-1970s.
As a musician, the new chancellor must know that music is full of mathematical concepts like counting, ratios and fractions, and that studies consistently show music students outperform their peers academically.
As an educator, he must know that what students practice through music is the process of breaking down a piece of music note by note, measure by measure, and persisting until it’s mastered. This skill, known popularly as grit, is linked to stronger academic outcomes and prepares students to tackle other life challenges.
As an administrator, he must know that a robust music education program can help improve an entire school’s climate. In fact, he credits music with having done just that at the high school he led in Tucson.
Carranza also surely appreciates that as schools face pressure to raise test scores, they risk underestimating the value of activities like music that inject joy, creativity and a sense of community into what can be for some students an otherwise dispiriting school day.
When Wellington, a viola student, began the Harmony Program, he struggled at first, musically and emotionally, wrestling with self-doubt and insecurity. Within three years, however, he had distinguished himself, auditioning successfully for a chance to take the stage with musicians of the New York Philharmonic in a public performance at Lincoln Center.
“I used to think about the negative all the time,” he reflects. “Ever since the Harmony Program, I’ve been very happy and extroverted.” He then adds with a smile, “Listen to good music, and you’ll feel good.”
The social and emotional benefits of music may now be more necessary than ever as students spend an estimated six to nine hours each day on their cell phones. Musicmaking demands that students put down these devices, engage each other, and work collaboratively toward a common purpose.
As Harmony cello student, Jackson, explains of ensemble performance, “I have to always have my eyes on my partner, my eyes on the conductor, and my ears . . . on everything. Listening matters in an orchestra. It really develops trust in everyone.” This rich social learning not only develops strong musicians but solid citizens and community members as well.
Music-making nourishes our young people in myriad ways, from supporting their physical dexterity and language acquisition, to executive function and mental health. Indeed, neuroscientists assert that playing a musical instrument simultaneously stimulates, and therefore strengthens, nearly every area of the brain.
With findings like these, why have we not restored music to its rightful place in our classrooms? If few activities are as universally beneficial as music, why is access so limited?
The time has come for this cultural capital city of ours to do better. As a musician prepares to assume one of the toughest education jobs in the country, he has a secret weapon at his disposal that has been woefully underutilized for far too long.
Let’s keep it a secret no longer. If we are serious about narrowing the achievement gap in our schools — and inspiring all our kids — it’s time to prioritize music.