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Music is a unique form of human expression that engages all students, enriches lives and stimulates creativity. Participation in music learning has been shown to assist in the development of student literacy and numeracy.
Each of the leading PISA countries (Programme for International Student Assessment of the OECD) have music education as a core subject from P to Year 8 and allocate between 5-7% of the curriculum to music learning. A quality music education provides students with the opportunity to be creative, to take intellectual and aesthetic risks and to challenge themselves.
Music and music making play a big part in the development of young people’s social identity, teamwork and achievements. Why music making? Because it is good for all children to have access to learning and making music.
Kids love music and they love to make music. Access to music education is amongst the highest aspiration parents have for their kids as it is a part of a well rounded education – Why Music Making? Why wouldn’t you want your your kids to succeed and have all the opportunities they can to find that success
After school, making music can have a significant effect on well being – it is skill that will be a friend all through life. Making music has been shown to reduce stress, to heal and improve quality of life. See the research section of the website for more information.
Our take on some music making facts
Fact 1
Everyone is musical and all of us have the ability to sing and to play an instrument. Of course some of us have more aptitude than others. That’s natural in exactly the same way that some people are more gifted than others in sport, or maths, or any other area of learning. But the idea that someone is not musical is a myth. Music making is for everyone.
Fact 2
Because everyone is musical very few of us will become professional musicians but most of us can have a life of enjoyment and achievement through making music. You don’t have to be Tiger Woods to play golf and enjoy it. And the same holds true for mkaing music.
Fact 3
There is no one way to learn to play an instrument and make music. Over the years various methods and approaches have been developed, and some suit some people and some suit others. Individuals need to find a style and approach that best suits them. So shop around for a teacher, because not every teacher is the same. If your child is fortunate enough to attend a school with well-developed music programs, this is a great opportunity to learn and benefit right through school.
Fact 4:
Music making is best enjoyed when it is shared with others. That ‘other’ can be a teacher or member of the family. They can be friends or a class of other players, a band or whole orchestra or choir. The important thing about making music is that you make your music with other people as soon and as often as you can. Music wasn’t meant to be a lonely pursuit.
Fact 5:
All music is made up of the same core elements such as melody, rhythm, harmony and tone. These precepts of music are evident in all styles from classical to rock. There is no ‘right’ music to learn first. Success and enjoyment are more dependent on the learning approach, and the student’s motivation and engagement. And the student is likely to be more motivated and engaged if they’re playing music they enjoy. Music is music whether it is Bach, The Beatles or Blur.
Fact 6:
There are two major aspects to music making: playing an instrument, and understanding and being musical (some people call it music theory). These two elements are not separate subjects and should be integrated in the process of learning and developing as musician. Music is best learned through doing. No-one sits down to learn the rules of football before being let out on the field and the same goes for making music.
