The Music Education Value Proposition
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
In my 20-year career, I have consistently been reminded about the precarious position Music occupies within education. This area of study is often under-subscribed, expensive to run and for pupils prohibitively pricey to explore, with a perception that only the most talented will experience ultimate success. As an academic, music scholar and teacher, my approach has always been pragmatic, attempting to view what I offer from the perspective of a potential student and their family. Their family, because it takes a village to raise a child.
I am, therefore, always cognisant of the Music Education Value Proposition: what is the person getting out of it; how is it going to make their lives better; and, why should they do it? Whilst creative fulfilment is a valid reason for pursuing a musical education, in the current economic climate and in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution it is just not enough. What are the benefits of a music education and are our students getting the value they should out of the interactions to which they are exposed?
Music is a driver and part of the wider entertainment and creative industries, valued at over a trillion dollars. Music is pervasive and contributes to many peripheral industries including advertising, sport, gaming, mobile, tech, television, radio, cinema, theatre and retail. The music industry is worth over $86 billion with projections placing it at over $153 billion by 2030, with the biggest growth being experienced in emerging markets, specifically Africa. The Top5 emerging music territories are South Africa, Egypt, Morrocco, Nigeria and Algeria. This has resulted in many first-world countries investing heavily in the music infrastructure of these identified countries.
The music industry is considered to be a largely recession-proof industry, which has experienced continuous annual growth from the beginning of the Great Recession (2008) and even through the Covid Crisis (2020–2022). The industry experienced annual compound growth of 5% per annum between 2007–2019. The business of music, which is larger than the musicians that generate creative output, is a massive employer, with over 5 million people in its ranks from CMOs to publishers, recording labels, and additional value-added services.
The IFPI (the International Federation of The Phonographic Industry) reports that the music business spends proportionally more money, about 16.9% of generated revenue, on research and development than its competitors. This includes the aerospace, pharmaceuticals and automobile industries. The reality, however, is that creatives and particularly musicians will be mostly self-employed and will lead what is known as portfolio careers. It is, therefore, essential that the education musicians receive prepare them for this eventuality, and includes elements of entrepreneurial skills development, knowledge of musician rights and how the music industry operates and a focus on creativity.
A document published by UNESCO articulated the importance of the Creative Industries in the economic growth of developing countries such as South Africa. This was backed by research conducted by Concerts South Africa, which concluded that the Creative Industries are a powerful space, that if promoted effectively, can contribute substantially to small business development, job creation, urban development and renewal. The South African Government has responded to the above findings, acknowledging the importance of the arts in South Africa as one of our competitive advantages.
Former Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, elaborated at a UCT Graduate School of Business function, that the creative industries are a significant driver of economic growth and a possible catalyst for a much-needed economic reversal of fortunes in the country. As mostly self-employed individuals, creatives have the ability to generate much-needed jobs for the South African labour market. The National Development Plan 2030 has prioritised arts education and the government has gone one step further by designating many of the arts as “scarce skills”, a strategy used to divert funding to these areas of study.
According to Forbes Magazine, creativity and creative skills are highly lauded by the business world and are traits employers are more actively seeking in prospective employees. In the USA the creative force accounts for 30% of the working population but generates 50% of the National income. This has resulted in the emergence of something known as the Creative Class. These individuals are highly sought after by the business world and have a tendency of clustering together in Creative Districts. This has influenced migration patterns and labour practices, with big business following creative individuals to the associated districts to try and tap into a resource that can ultimately improve productivity in their organisations.
This is clearly evident in South Africa with creative districts mushrooming in our major economic hubs: The Rosebank Art Mile, No1 Fox Street, Victoria Yards, Duncan Yard, Newtown, Maboneng, The Biscuit Mill, and Braamfontein. Research indicates that any region desiring economic prosperity requires the assistance of this highly mobile class. This means that anyone studying arts, in this day and age, is not limited to working in the field for which they were trained. The work possibilities are endless for someone who embodies creative skills and the ability to process information abstractly.
The dominance of creatives on the economy is clearly evident when one looks at Forbes’ billionaires’ list which is headed by some of the world’s top creatives: Elon Musk (Tesla et. al) Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Larry Page (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Zhang Yiming (Tik Tok), Phil Knight (Nike) and formerly Steve Jobs (Apple). Many companies approached creatives post the Great Recession of 2008 to give them an alternate perspective on business operations and creative solutions to the problems that resulted in this economic catastrophe.
Since the beginning of the Rock era, in the 1950s, the development of music technology has resulted in a proliferation of music genres and exponential growth and changes in the music business. Furthermore, post the Napster debacle of 1999, which is considered a seminal moment in music history, the relationship between musicians, the music industry and music consumers has completely shifted. I remember when I first started lecturing my students used to listen to CDs, this then morphed into illegal downloads, then legal downloads and now people don’t even want to store anything preferring to stream.
And that’s just the beginning. We have now moved on to NFTs, AI-created music, TIK Tok and the rise of the DIY musician. Independents are now occupying a greater percentage of the music industry and this is shifting the way in which the music business operates. The way in which music is being created, distributed and marketed has irrevocably changed. The major record companies no longer have a stronghold over the industry, DIY musicians are not reliant on record companies and songwriters are not beholden to publishers. Audience attention spans are now shorter and so are the songs they listen to, with arrangements now sometimes starting with the chorus, so as not to lose audiences. The music industry value chain has altered and there is a whole new infrastructure that supports the monetisation of music.
It is clear from the numbers that the music business and musicians are not reliant on music education for career longevity or income generation. The new dispensation is worlds apart from what we knew in the past, with most of the barriers to entry having been eliminated. Research supports a finding that most creatives working in creative industries have some sort of higher education, but the majority do not possess a qualification in the artform in which they operate. This could possibly be attributed to the fact that the education a student is perceived to receive is not fit for purpose. It is, therefore, inevitable that the infrastructure supporting arts education could be in danger if mass reforms are not introduced to justify the cost and time required for a formal music education.
Music education is, however, adequately positioned to take advantage of the 4th Industrial Revolution, in not only preparing graduates (from high school and universities) to be valuable contributors to the music industry but to society at large. The thing we must not lose sight of is that the individuals that are attracted to our field of study are differently abled and, therefore, cannot be motivated in the same way as other people. Research indicates that creativity is a fragile process that if controlled too tightly will be suppressed. This, therefore, has to be something that is carefully considered when teaching creatives. The students attracted to our subject will always be attracted to what we do and the ability to express themselves in a way other people cannot.
But how do we attract the numbers into our subject that will stave off schools’ management teams and “naysayers”, making our departments economically viable and sustainable? In general, there seems to have been very little change in the way in which formal music education is approached, with many of the same concepts being explored and the reinforcement of Augustinian assumptions (p. 237). The perception created is that old musical concepts are reinforced at the expense of the modern music dispensation and worldview. This can easily be remedied and altered, but it requires the will to do so.
Furthermore, in South Africa, we need to try to move toward decolonised classrooms, a topic touted for quite some time. Dzvimbo and Moloi (p. 13) add that curricula should be reimagined and reworked to facilitate engagement with changing global and national directives. For that reason, I’m a proponent of Cheng’s theory of Triplization (p. 7, 10). Prof Cheng argues that because of the rapidly internationalised economy and with the prospect of improving a student’s career prospects, teaching and learning should be triplized: globalised, localised and individualised. Because of the increasingly global society in which live, not only is it essential to preserve indigenous knowledge (localised), but the construction of curricula should relate to a student’s reality (individualised), whilst also considering the international context (globalised). A decolonised classroom is just not enough.
Moreover, research indicates that formal music education often prioritises music training and skills development at the expense of learning about the entrepreneurial and legal aspects pertaining to career sustainability. Whilst most of our pupils, who choose to pursue a higher education in music, will further their studies at universities and colleges, many will opt not to follow such a course and enter the industry straight after school. It is, therefore, essential that we are cognisant of the industry and prepare our pupils for the business into which some of them will articulate, as our classrooms could be the last thing between them and a career in music.
That being said, a myth needs to be dispelled at this point. Many pupils, and their parents, think that because they (or their children) are taking music as a subject, that a career in music is, therefore, the only outcome. This is a fallacy and people need to start viewing music as any other subject. It’s an absurd notion: it’s not like every child who does History as a subject is going to become a historian, so why should music be laboured with this perception? In the end, it’s not about the subject, per se, but about the skills and knowledge they acquire in their scholarly journey.
Considering the above, there is a marked difference between music and a subject like History. Whilst a subject like History is an easy sell and a teacher can fill two classes without trying too hard, the same cannot be said about music. Firstly music is a time-consuming subject, which requires a lot of commitment and discipline from a pupil, and is naturally more expensive than a standard subject. This makes it a much more difficult sell and out of the reach of many. A teacher, therefore, needs to be approachable, promote and advocate for their subject, if they expect to pull “the numbers”, which places us, as educators, in a slightly different position to other colleagues.
So what is the music education value proposition?
- Many studies have proven that a formal music education helps with left-right assimilation and can contribute to increased IQ.
- Music is an innately social subject, where pupils are forced to work together, which helps teach them how to navigate interpersonal relationships and politics. It also encourages and assists pupils to work effectively in groups.
- Music requires that pupils learn how to read an audience and adapt what they are doing on a stage to capture the attention of gathered masses. This teaches flexibility and adaptability.
- The above social skills stimulate greater compassion and empathy for one’s classmates and people in general. Photo by Jamakassi on Unsplash
- Music has also been found to build a child’s confidence, self-esteem as well as resilience.
- Music as an art allows pupils to explore their creativity and self-expression, something that is not easily attained in other school subjects.
- Because of the time required to master an instrument and the theoretical knowledge needed to pass the subject, pupils need to learn how to manage their time in order to comfortably adhere to all the subject’s expectations. This also assists with the development of multi-tasking skills.
- Because music is so integrally linked to our society and historical development, pupils are better able to contextualise the evolution of our communities through various filters, creating more holistic individuals.
- The art of learning music has been found to improve memory, verbal intelligence, as well as fine motor skills and is considered a healthy way to relieve stress.
- Music is a language and in order to learn the language and how to play an instrument requires discipline and focus, two traits that music pupils often embody at the end of their studies.
- Lastly, there seems to be a direct correlation between musicality and mathematical ability.
It is clear that there is a viable and buoyant music industry into which pupils can articulate if they so wish, but they are not limited to this as a career prospect. The skills acquired in a music education are traits coveted by any employer in the new Gig Economy. Whether a pupil articulates into a career in music or any alternate field, these skills will empower them to be valuable contributors to our society and assist in the future sustainability of our economies. The Music Education Value Proposition is far greater than learning to play an instrument or about how Bach or Beethoven composed a piece of music.
The latent (“soft”) skills acquired through the process of learning about music, music creation and creativity are what empower our wards. Whilst there is consensus as to the value of music and creative education and how it can be used to turn our economies around, it is essential that our classrooms reflect what is happening in the world of music and society at large. Therefore, the argument for Triplized classrooms. Music and creative education is the key to our future, it now depends on how we sell that to prospective contributors and participators in our programmes.
