Scientists are uncovering amazing links between music education and other areas of learning, but too often, music programs are the first to be cut from tight school budgets.
As a public school music teacher last year, Yi Li Lin, a Julliard graduate and Queens resident, saw firsthand how under-funded and lackluster music education programs are in the region’s public schools. “When I became a teacher I first realized how unfortunate it was that so many students are deprived of music education in public schools,” said Lin Tuesday. “I could hardly believe that is was possible for many of these students to go throughout their entire education without ever being exposed to music.”
It was that realization that motivated Lin to open the Hoboken School of Music, the only program of its kind in the mile-square city. She hopes that the school, which will be in the Monroe Center for the Arts at 720 Monroe St., will expose as many children, young adults and even adults to the joys of music and music appreciation.
“The Hoboken School of Music aims to provide the best music program to nurture students’ creativity and imagination in pleasant, supportive environment,” said Lin, who is an accomplished clarinet player. “The lessons and programs are designed to meet the needs and bring forth the uniqueness of each student by providing the best in music education and performance experiences for people of all ages and abilities.”
She added that everyone from childhood to retirement years wishing to enrich their life through music is welcome at the school. Individual lessons and group classes will be offered in all orchestral instruments, piano, guitar and music appreciation. Lin added that students will be encouraged to showcase their talents in recitals and other public performance settings such as group ensembles and festivals.
Education and music
“The children’s program focuses on how to use music to enhance a child’s intelligence from an early age,” said Lin. While doing her post-graduate studies at the University of California, she studied the causal relationship between music education and the ability of children to grasp concepts that are also essential to math, science and other subjects. “In the past decade, researchers in the field of music and neurology have worked closely together and examined the phenomenon of a successful music education and its influence,” she said.
During an interview with the Reporter Tuesday, she presented several studies that show the relationship between music education and learning. “These scientists have concluded that music not only lifts one’s spirit and allows individuals to express their own voice, moreover, it enhances one’s brain function,” said Lin.
She added that the studies show that taking music lessons increase spatial reasoning intelligence and the ability to comprehend higher-level math, science, engineering and physics concepts.
Spatial reasoning intelligence is the ability to see detailed pictures in the mind and being able to recognize, compare, and find relationships among patterns.
She pointed to a study revealing that students who took singing and keyboard lessons scored 80 percent higher on object-assembly tests than students at the same preschool who did not have music lessons.
Also for adults
Also for adults, said Lin, there will opportunities to take a music appreciation class or even to learn a new instrument for the first time. “The adult program concentrates on appreciation and love of the arts, providing an outlet for self-expression,” said Lin. The school is now registering students and will officially open to the community on Sept. 29. For more information and a demonstration class, call (201) 798-2600.