Throughout history, music has been a profound cultural element in nearly all of man’s diverse cultures. It has played a beneficial role in human development and the civilizing of mankind. Scientists are discovering that in addition to the positive effects on human health, music enhances intelligence.
In 1989, the National Commission on Music Education reported that students taking music courses scored an average of 20 – 40 points higher on both verbal and math portions of the SATs.
In spite of the research and evidence, music education gets a bad rap and is usually the first subject to be eliminated in any budgetary crisis.
More troubling are reports from Kuwait which reveal a religious antipathy to music. Muslim parents are demanding a ban on government funded music classes stating “music is not part of our tradition and religion and we totally reject it.”
Would it be impertinent, not to mention politically incorrect, to ask why would a religion prohibit music? Middle Eastern Muslims had access to Greek musical theory but unlike Christian Europe, did not use it.
The growth and evolution of polyphonic music in monasteries and cathedrals by Palestrina and Bach lead to the monumental opuses of Beethoven and Brahms. There was no Mozart in the Islamic world.
Ed Konecnik
Flushing,
