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Why Should I Support Music Study?
- Music
study is intrinsically
worthwhile and
a thing of profound
beauty --- a field
with its own unique
body of knowledge
and skills. It
is the work of
our civilization,
and therefore
is to be cultivated.
- A
good education
helps convert
"brains to minds,"
and the systematic
study of music
is a vital part
of that process.
It teaches mental
discipline, creative
problem-solving,
attentiveness,
reflection, and
curiosity ---
qualities that
animate us as
individuals and
are sought after
in a cultivated
mind.
- Music
study promotes a cultural awareness, which is essential
if individuals are to become strong contributors to
their society. The greater our investment in young
minds and the more access we provide to our culture,
the more likely that society will be repaid in the
form of individual accomplishment.
- Music
study is not just
for the gifted
or privileged.
Its availability
is a matter of
individual intellectual
freedom and development,
both of which
are essential
to an active democracy
and a vital musical
culture. Music
study enables
us to make personal
distinctions;
to describe, interpret,
and evaluate independently;
and to make informed
decisions about
the music we like.
This "independence
of mind" is something
we as Americans
value, cultivate
in other fields,
and should likewise
treasure in music
study.
- Music
study provides unique opportunities for self-expression
and creativity, thus encouraging a sense of grounding
in an essential human experience. In a highly technological,
materialistic society, we need the special pleasures
that music can provide to help us establish the quality
of our survival in a world preoccupied with quantity.
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