Excerpt from Fruteland Jackson – Course materials

Music education enables students to interact with sound, simultaneously engaging mind, body, and spirit. Through creating, performing, and listening to music, students experience the ways in which music evokes and conveys thoughts, images, and feelings.

Music education makes a valuable and unique contribution to students' intellectual growth, and integrates intellectual and emotional development. Shared experiences in music significantly contribute to the development of a healthier society through activities that respect and reflect the diversity of human experiences.

Music education enables all learners to explore, create, perceive, and communicate thoughts, images, and feelings through music. These experiences are unique and essential, and make a significant contribution to learners' lifelong development as educated citizens.

· Music education, as envisioned in this curriculum, contributes to the intellectual, aesthetic, human, social, and career development of the educated citizen by providing learners with opportunities to:

· Develop competency in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making through experiences with music.
· Develop literacy in music, including familiarity with the conventions of written music.

· Connect knowledge gained through experience in music with other aspects of their lives.
· Use expressive skills gained in music to convey meaning in other aspects of their lives
· Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of artistic and aesthetic expression

· Develop independence, self-motivation, and positive self-image through experiences with music
· Practice co-operation in social interactions involved in the creation, exploration, and expression of music.
· Accept and respect the ideas of others by working together to create, explore, and express through music.
· Explore, create, and interpret self- and world awareness through the study of music and music traditions of world cultures.
· Develop discipline and confidence through experiences that demand focused and sustained practice
· Appreciate the role of music in society
· Contribute to society through music-related pursuits and careers

Blues in the School Programs specifically:

· Educate and entertain
· Enhances students creativity
· Increases thinking and problem solving ability
· Enhances literacy both academically and socially
· Helps develop aesthetic judgment
· Develops self-esteem (removes self-doubt)
· Brings about cross-cultural understanding and tolerance
· Improves school attendance
· Provides career opportunities
· Valuable teaching tool for students with special needs