4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Music School in India

People we know are always asking the question "How do we choose a Music School or Music Institute for our child?" and after extensive research and talking to several parents of students attending music lessons, we have compiled 4 things that you must look into when choosing the right place for your child's Music Education.

#1 - Quality of Music Education

The first thing we must understand that music is a language just like English, Hindi, Russian and others. The school you pick must teach the music alphabets, then onto reading and writing music. All musical concepts such as pitch, melody, rhythm must be taught. The student must begin with the fundamentals of music and then build upon that with songs and other musical pieces.

Students must be able to read and play music NOT learn a tune by-heart. If a student does not know the fundamentals of music then a student will be unable to learn more songs/pieces as they go forward. Ensure your child is being taught correctly. Ask the schools how they teach music.

#2 - Curriculum & Infrastructure 

Curriculum - A music institute will typically follow either a contemporary or classical curriculum. You need to understand the difference between the two.  Classical Music is music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music. While a more precise term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820 (the Classical period), during which, this type of music was created. Noted Classical music composers include Mozart, Beethovan, Bach, Vivaldi etc. Contemporary Music is the current music (30-60 years) and covers all the modern genres including Rock, Pop, Jazz, Funk, Country etc.

Infrastructure - A good music institute will invest a certain amount of funds in providing the right infrastructure for students to learn in. Quality instrument(s), acoustically treated room(s) and brightly lit classrooms are a must. In some institutes, the student will be required to carry their instrument, this is alright as long as the required infrastructure to learn to play is provided - for example, notation stands, instrument stands, benches etc:

#3 - Quality of Teachers

A good music institute will go the extra mile to ensure that they have good teachers who are qualified to teach what they are hired for. For instance, a guitar teacher must be certified in a renowned curriculum (Rockschool, Trinity, ABRSM) for guitar. In addition, a teacher must be trained and familiar with the curriculum being followed at the music institute. For beginner students, you must have a teacher who has completed their Grade 3 or 4. For intermediate to advanced students, you must have a teacher who had completed their Grade 7 or 8 or holds a Diploma in music.

#4 - Policies, Terms of Operation

Last but not the least, every company operates in their own manner under certain policies. You must read and understand their terms of functioning thoroughly before enrolling the student in any music institute. However, we often find that if a school is strict with its policies, they tend to deliver better quality services. Find the right balance between the quality of services and their terms of operation.

We hope these 4 points are useful to help you make an informed decision about how to choose the right music school for yourself or your child. Don't compromise on a good school because of distance, time and price - if you can help it. It will really go a long way in learning music and setting the foundation correctly.

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

How Children Benefit from Music Education in Schools

Research tells us children who play music do better in school and in life. Yet, there is so much debate about whether arts should be included in schools. The arts in education campaign has been ongoing for some years now and will always be a controversial topic for many. Should we or should we not provide our students with an opportunity to explore the arts in school? Should we include the arts in the school day or make them extracurricular? Should we incorporate arts education lessons and activities in the general classroom? Will the arts have a great effect on academic excellence? 

These are all questions that have crossed several great minds in the past, but the real question I have is, "why the controversy?" After all of the scientific research that has been collected, is it not proof enough that the arts and music in the classroom has a tremendous effect on world-wide academic achievement and cultural value?

Here is a list of the 5 most important reasons why music education is so beneficial to our students:

1. A Music Education program provides an aesthetic experience for its students. Often times, students will utilize music as an outlet for expression that is sometimes unavailable to them in other academic areas.
2. Musical experiences will provide the students with opportunities for emotional response, which often encourages the cognitive processes.
3. Music Education instills “life values" in students. Some of these include; discipline, cooperation, social skills, and building good character. Knowledge of music technology, music history, music theory, and music culture will reinforce knowledge in other academic subjects as well.
4. Music will often create a sense of school spirit, which will in turn provide the students with a sense of self-worth which will almost always reflect a positive attitude.
5. A good Music program will aid any school district in the direction to obtain the highest level of achievement and excellence deemed possible.

So don't compromise, ensure your child has access to quality Music Education in school. Ensure you child is learning music correctly - learning the language of music, reading and writing music, techniques of the instrument chosen and finally the ability to perform using the skills learnt in the music class.

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Sources:

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-elementary-school/11235-importance-of-music-education/?platform=hootsuite

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2017/04/arts_education_research.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news3

https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-09/how-children-benefit-music-education-schools

Benefits of Music Education

Music is universal. It’s more than a billion dollar industry, and it is omnipresent. How many hours in a row do you ever go without listening to music? Everywhere you go, everything you watch— music. Always music. We are surrounded in it, bathe in it, soak in it.

Then, why would we not want to know more about something constantly present in our lives? Would you want to live in a world without music? Then why would you want to have a school without music?

We would list innumerable number of reasons about the benefits of Music Education but here are our top ten:

1.    Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in music lessons.

2.    Children who study a musical instrument are more likely to excel in all of their studies, work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school, and pursue further education.

3.    Increased coordination: Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music.

4.    Music is the fabric of our society, and music can shape abilities and character. Students in band or orchestra are less likely to abuse substances over their lifetime. Musical education can greatly contribute to children’s intellectual development as well.

5.    Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2% graduation rate and 93.9% attendance rate compared to schools without music education, which average 72.9% graduation and 84.9% attendance.

6.    A Stanford study shows that music engages areas of the brain which are involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating events in our memory.

7.    Much like expert technical skills, mastery in arts and humanities is closely correlated to a greater understanding of language components.

8.    Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training.

9.    Emotional development: Students of music can be more emotionally developed, with empathy towards other cultures They also tend to have higher self esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.

10.Better self-confidence: With encouragement from teachers and parents, students playing a musical instrument can build pride and confidence. Musical education is also likely to help students develop better communication.

It is up to each of us to ensure that our children are exposed to learning music in their everyday life and especially at school. The importance of music and music education continues to be recognized everyday. Schools must not compromise on the quality of instructors or curriculum in order to ensure children are taught correctly and gain a life skills from the instruction. The school curriculum should be designed to deliver more than a minimal education to students. Music and Art should be taught at every elementary school in a regular and systematic way. Music and all Fine Arts should be considered “academic electives” in secondary schools and available to all students on a multi-year basis to allow adequate time for skills to develop sufficiently for informed decisions about college programs and career choices. All academic electives, including Music and Fine Arts, should count towards entrance requirements in colleges and universities.

Companies such as BlueTimbre offer quality music education programs in schools so that schools can continue to focus on what they do best. Companies such as BlueTimbre offer schools an alternative to being people dependant and worrying about the quality of instructors or curriculum. BlueTimbre works with schools providing complete Music Education solutions so that despite the students background or understanding, they have access to good quality instruments, teachers and internationally renowned curriculum. ‘While teaching music is important, showcasing the learning by performing is the key; says Sherin Winstent, founder and expert musician.

BlueTimbre is a Music hub with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. BlueTimbre works with schools providing complete Music Education solutions on campus. BlueTimbre management team comes with a decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Sources:

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-music-education

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/stop-defending-music-education-_b_7564550.html

http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/whyteachmusic/

http://blog/Why-should-Music-be-a-necessary-part-of-a-School/

http://www.nafme.org/20-important-benefits-of-music-in-our-schools/