Arts

Throughout all ages and cultures, people have known that music education is important and necessary for growing kids, as Aristotle and Plato mentioned. However, they often do not care about the quality of music education or the school circumstances that influence children's value systems. My daughter is in first grade. Two songs that she learned from school were "Gangnam Style" and "Barbie Girl." Children might learn these songs in many ways, but hearing that she learned them at school was very shocking for me. Of course, they can enjoy the melody and rhythm of those songs. But the problem is the lyrics.

"Gangnam Style" was a mega-hit worldwide. This song has an addictive melody and rhythm. Children sing along without knowing the meaning of the lyrics. The content of the song is about a guy who wants to appear wealthy to appeal to a lady he desires to be close to. Another song was "Barbie Girl" by Aqua. This song, like "Gangnam Style," has all the qualities to be loved. There is no doubt about it. But anyone who understands the lyrics knows that this music is unsuitable for kids.

Why is the quality of music education important for kids? The process of learning music for kids involves developing the ability to express what they find beautiful about music and how much they appreciate it. Music education nurtures creativity, builds empathy, and helps people better express their emotions and manage anxiety through musical activities. In light of this, we understand that music education greatly influences the musical and mental growth and maturity of our kids. Furthermore, they can benefit in areas like math and language through music activities. My opinion might be over the top, but as a mom who cares about music education, I don't think this situation is right.

As a global trend, the percentage of music education in schools is decreasing. It is becoming difficult to find appropriate songs for school children except for nursery rhymes. If teachers do not want to teach classical music, they can find good songs from pop music. At the very least, teachers must select songs that help shape the emotions and values of growing kids.

People say children need music education, but they often think that music education is just playing a musical instrument. In reality, many parents spend extra money and time on their kids' music instrument lessons. Does this mean only parents who have enough extra resources can help their kids get music education? No, music is everywhere around us, which means we can easily be in touch with music.

We can find songs with good lyrics. Just turn the music on when they're at home. Kids are like sponges; they have an enormous ability to absorb things. They can learn many things just by playing good music. These activities are all part of music education. Children have the right to receive proper music education.

Our kids are precious. They are our future. Even if we only give them good things, it is still not enough.