I spoke to my friend, Sean, the other day. I shared my idea that music, even the arts, should should be prioritized in education. Why?

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are important subjects. If you read my blog, you know that I have an interest in these subjects. I see these subjects like tools that a person can use to explain or build a system. I see music as the spoke that combines everything together.

To create music is to employ the laws of physics and concepts from engineering.

Imagine a music class where a student learned not only notes and how to play an instrument; but also learned the practical applications of their other courses. Students would use statistics as a way to analyze music. They learn about wave forms and how they can create different wave forms from their instrument. They ask about how to combine wave forms.

Imagine a class where students learn how to work cross-functionally. They write music for their class. To be effective, they must talk to students who play different instruments. They must learn the limitations and strengths of the instrument. They write music that allows their class-mate (read: cross-functional partner) to be successful.

Imagine a class where ideas are born, destroyed, and iterated upon. In ensemble class students learn how to develop an idea and riff on it. They learn that destination-less brainstorming isn’t as effective as rapid continuous-improvement. They learn how to develop and sell ideas that get riffed.

No one needs to know why music is important — on it’s own, I argue it might not be that important. But, when you start to make music multi-disciplinary (which it is by nature), the benefits scale exponentially.