NBC'S EDUCATION NATION: MUSIC MATTERS! (Duh...)

This week on EducationNation.com: Music Matters

Education Nation // June 24, 2011 // 10:16 AM EST


It's hard to escape headlines about the damages wrought by sweeping budget cuts in the nation's school districts these days. Teachers are being laid off in droves, schools are being closed and consolidated, and non-core programs are being slashed to make up the shortfalls. In many cases, the first of those programs on the chopping block is music.

This week on Education Nation's The Learning Curve, we're taking a closer look at music and its place in our schools. We've asked five questions of psychologist Dr. Frances Rauscher, whose studies on music and its effects on the brain led to the discovery of the Mozart Effect. We've learned about a music program created (against economic odds) last year in one of the poorest sections of New York City. We've heard from Joseph Polisi, president of The Juilliard School, about the importance of music in public schools. And later today, we'll post a video of the band Dispatch, who are dedicating their tour this summer to education initiatives.

It's music education week in Washington, D.C and at EducationNation.com.


GUEST BLOG: Music Empowers Special Education Students

Joshua Renick began a music program in one of the poorest neighborhoods of New York City last year. He found that instruments provided a unique way for special ed students to escape their labels. More



Your Brain on Music: 5 Questions for Dr. Frances Rauscher

Dr. Rauscher, a researcher in the area of music cognition, tells us what Mozart does to our brains (and the brains of rats.) More



GUEST BLOG: Put the Arts Back into Schools

Joseph Polisi, president of The Juilliard School, went to a junior high school in New York City that tested students for musical skills, and selected some for a special music class. On Education Nation's The Learning Curve, Polisi explains why attention to the arts needs to be re-instilled in our schools. More