Just a few reasons why music (and particularly group music) is so important in education

(Post made at 1220 UK time on 28 Dec 2017 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests). 

In today's world in which very many children have a very short attention span and very often call out/take a sip from a water bottle, taking part in a group musical activity (such as a choir or a wind/brass/string/percussion band, or an orchestra, or even "just" a series of call and response musical games in a class setting) offers many life skills that will stand them in very good stead in their future working and family life.  Here are just a few that come to mind:

1. Concentration
2. Working as a team
3. Listening
4. Discipline (both self discipline and of the group)
5. Punctuality
6. Respect for others with different skills
7. An appreciation that to produce excellent results, hard work is (usually) required.

All the above are of course on top of the joy and lifelong pleasure that being able to produce and appreciate good music (of all sorts of genres/styles) brings.

I believe the best headteachers recognise the value that music (and theatre/drama/sport) add to the lives of the children in their charge.  

Sadly, in some (many?) cases due to cuts in funding, many children are not able to take part in musical ensembles.

I hope both that the pendulum starts swinging the other way, and that more and more headteachers and politicians appreciate the importance of music.