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Music Should Be a Part of Education

One of the first programs to get cut in schools when there is a funding issue is the music program. This is because not everyone recognizes music as something that children must learn. It is considered an elective. There are many people, however, that would argue that music should be a core part of educational curriculum because of the benefits that are seen in other parts of learning from the students who participate.

Violin scroll in strong perspective, bright ba...

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Music is a great way to teach children dedication and responsibility. This is because they have to practice hard in order to get good. If children really put forth the effort, they will have a sense of accomplishment as they see improvement. It also challenges the mind and teaches children to apply all of these skills to other parts of education. Math is one area where many students show improvement after participating in a music program.

If your school district does not provide a music program, you should consider getting your children involved in music in other ways because of the benefits you will see in their education. Plus, your children will have a skill that they can show off which will be useful later in life. It shows kids that it is possible to become good at something.

Encourage your school district not to cut funding on music programs. It is an important part of education and the children will be missing out if music programs are removed. But above all else, make sure your own children have the opportunity to learn an instrument or participate in music, even if it is outside of school.

 

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Music Is Not All About Talent

Talent is not all it takes to make it with a career in music. Although, talent is always a nice start, an extremely good educational music training is a better way to begin a journey in the field of music. Not everyone can just go on American Idol and become the next big thing. There are many music schools throughout the country, but Florida has some of the best.
- Clearwater Christian College, in Clearwater, Florida is an extremely small school with less than 600 students. It is a private school, but it is a nondenominational college.
- University of South Florida, located in Tampa, Florida is one of the largest universities in Florida. It carries more than 45,000 students a year. This is a public school and is not associated with a church.
These are only two of many Florida schools that have music programs and concentrations.
Schools that have programs in music teach either commercially or classically tuned music. There are three major degrees or degrees with special music concentrations.
- Bachelor of Art, B.A., which is a general music degree.
- Bachelor of Music, B.M., is a more in depth music degree that has specifications in composition, performance, voice, and/or music therapy
- Bachelor of Science, B.S., is an degree in education, but with concentrations of education in voice and instruments.
Schools that focus primarily on music are often smaller than major universities. This allows students to completely concentrate on learning every aspect of their future music careers. They are given more personalized instruction, so that the students can work on developing their musical talents.
The larger universities where students major in music are often for individuals who want a more rounded education with classes in more than just music. Academic lessons are required in universities and some students minor in degrees other than music. They will apply for a minor in education, for example, so that they will have multiple career potentials.

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Practice, Practice, Practice!

Name one kid that at one point or another never took up the clarinet, flute, trumpet, drums, guitar, ANYTHING. Pretty sure not one kid can be named. Music’s everywhere. It’s the idea of playing sounds sounding beautiful that mesmerizes the soul, especially inside a little one’s heart. To create something: it’s a fantastic and unearthly essence that can only be explained as God-given. Is it any wonder why music education is so important?

Can you imagine what the world would be like without music? Think of people walking aimlessly around the Earth with no sound to guide them. You can’t call out someone’s name, especially if that person adores and loves you, because usually your voice would be like music to that person. And thus, if music never existed, your voice wouldn’t ever exist either. Try to imagine every person on the planet going deaf and mute, and that’s what the world would be like without music. Think of all the souls sifting away into some void of nothingness and blackness, and that’s your empty space of a music-less existence. Why? Because you wouldn’t see any trees breathing in the wind. Their voices are the music of God. So are the birds. Actually ALL the animals and their echoes in the air represent music. They have a natural rhythm. Even the hustle and bustle of cities and all the white noise are a darker side of music; but that stuff won’t be there either. Nothing will surround you. Just a mere blackness that can only be described as death.

Is that what you want? A world without music? Can you imagine what it would be like to have no music education? Start practicing on that imagination. Practice, practice, practice. Unfortunately, it might take you the rest of your life on that one. Because the thought of no music education is unspeakable. Personally, you should take up the clarinet. It sounds a whole lot better.

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The Basics to Becoming a Career Musician

While going into music full time may require some connections and good luck, no one will become the full-time musician they want to be without hard work and determination. These tips will help you discipline yourself and turn into the musician you want to be.

Find opportunities to perform in public. If you are serious about your music, you will do whatever it takes to get your name out there and to perfect your performance. If this means charging half of what you would like in order to guarantee a gig every weekend, it will be worth it in the end. The more experience that you have performing to an audience the better you will be.

Push yourself during your practice. If you are not practicing regularly, you cannot hope to pursue music as a full-time career. Even if you practice at regular times, you must still push yourself to master more different and difficult techniques. The more diverse of a musician you are, the more you have to offer to your clients for any situation. One musician only received a contract to play at a children’s art show because she knew a collection of Disney arrangements.

Keep up on your theory. Theory is the backbone to all music. By having a thorough grasp on these basics, you have the tools to transpose music, become a better sight reader, and improvise. If you have trouble keeping yourself into a theory book, consider taking a music class online with elearners.com, which will give you the structure and accountability to master or review basic theory as well as music history.

While music theory and low-paying gigs may be hard to swallow, the work is worth it if you truly love to play, and it just might lead to or prepare you for the higher-paying jobs that you dream about.

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