OPINION:
Throughout history music has played an important role in human development. It is \a primary element in nearly all of hummanity’s diverse cultures. Scientists are discovering that in addition to the positive effects on human health, music enhances intelligence. Research shows that music is to the brain what physical exercise is to the human body.
In 1989 the National Commission on Music Education reported that students taking music courses scored an average of 20 points to 40 points higher on both verbal and math portions of the SATs. Recent research concluded that “music training produced long-term changes in the wiring of the brain and improved spatial-temporal IQ scores important for some types of mathematical reasoning.”
In spite of the research and evidence, music education is usually the first subject to be eliminated in any budgetary crisis. More troubling are recent reports from Kuwait, Mali, Syria and Muslim communities in many countries that reveal a religious antipathy to music. Muslim parents in Kuwait recently demanded a ban on government-funded music classes, saying “music is not part of our tradition and religion and we totally reject it.” In Somalia, a Muslim leader threatened to file an Islamic lawsuit if all the radio stations did not stop playing music. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Syria banned music in cars, at parties, in shops and in public. An official statement reads “Songs and music are forbidden in Islam, as they prevent one from the remembrance of God and the Koran and are a temptation and corruption of the heart.” It claims the proclamation is based on the guidelines set by the Prophet Mohammed, who said, “On the day of Resurrection, Allah will pour molten lead into the ears of whoever sits listening to a songstress.”
Plato said that “music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.” I agree.
ED KONECNIK
Flushing, N.Y.
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