Celebrating Music in Schools Month
Music in Our Schools Month is an annual celebration of music education. It takes place in March and is organized by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). This celebration aims to raise awareness of the importance of music education in our schools and remind us of the benefits that music brings to our lives. It is an excellent opportunity to recognize the hard work of music teachers and the dedication of their students. Music in Our Schools Month is a reminder of the power that music has to bring us all together and enrich our lives.
A study published in our White Paper Music Matters: The Importance of Music and Music Education reveals that in 2007, Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy at the University of Kansas, found that children in elementary schools (age 5 -10) who received good music education scored significantly higher grades in English and math tests (22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math) than children with low-quality music programs. He concluded that the focus required in learning to play a musical instrument is comparable to the focus needed to perform well in standardized assessments. Therefore, students who learn a musical instrument will likely do better in academic tests.
The research also highlights music's positive impact on a child’s self-confidence and social development. Evidently, children who participate in musical training are more aware of others and have a greater appreciation for others. This is because when children play musical instruments alongside others, they learn to support each other and work towards the same common goal.
Percussion Play’s musical instruments can support a child’s musical education and encourage individual and group participation. Playing music in the great outdoors has also been scientifically proven to enhance people’s moods. Perhaps the essential positive psychological impacts of being outdoors have never been more apparent globally than over the last three years during the Covid-19 pandemic. The effects of lockdown, isolation, quarantine, and restricted access to public outdoor spaces — as well as increased general anxiety around engaging and interacting with these — have made clear the correlations between having access to outdoor space and maintaining a state of good mental health.
Jody Ashfield, Founder and CEO of Percussion Play, said: “We are proud to recognize and support this year’s Music In Our Schools Month. As world leaders in manufacturing outdoor musical instruments, we aim to champion learning and playing music outdoors. The pandemic has taught educators that bringing the classroom outside can have multiple benefits. We encourage schools to get outside and create and listen to music”.
You can read more research on the benefits of outdoor music in education settings here or read some Case Studies of Percussion Play’s instruments in schools.
Check out Percussion Play’s Bite-Size Beats program, which directs teachers as to how to incorporate outdoor music education into the school curriculum.
