18. Why every child should play in 5th Grade Band
And what every parent needs to know about their school music program
Hi friends,
I believe every 5th grade student should play in their school band. Every last one. I really do. If we can have every 3rd grade student learn recorder, every 4th grade student sing in the chorus, and every child study visual arts in elementary school, fifth grade band should be a requirement. Period.
First, a few disclaimers:
I am writing about band programs rather than orchestra because there is a long history of band programs in elementary schools across the United States. It should be no surprise that I am supportive of school orchestra programs and believe the benefits of school band apply to school orchestra.
Chorus is wonderful. I support it. I think every child should sing in a chorus, even (or maybe especially) if they are in their school band. I’m still going to write about band today.
Playing piano or guitar is great. But I’ve yet to meet a piano or guitar teacher who suggests 80 fifth grade pianists or guitarists should get together to rehearse with a conductor every week and perform together. It’s a different beast. Large ensemble opportunities for this age group are important. (Please know I studied guitar, saxophone, AND piano. All are important to me.)
I understand that children have a wide spectrum of abilities and that there are children for whom playing in a band is not possible. I know I overuse the word every, but I really do think that what I’m about to say applies to most. What I want parents to understand is that "I don’t like band,” or “I’m not good at band,” or “I don’t want to do band” are not good reasons to skip band. You could apply those three sentences to any subject: mathematics, science, art, language, history, physical education, and more. Each is still vitally important to the education of a child. Music is just as important as any of the others, especially in elementary school.
If band were a core requirement, schools would make instruments available to students regardless of means, just like Chromebooks or laptops. For my argument, access to musical instruments for every child is a given.
Most schools begin their band program in 5th grade. Some might do it in 4th grade, or maybe in 6th grade, but in that window between age 9 and 11 exists the perfect moment for children to begin playing wind and percussion instruments. It is the time when, for most children, fine motor skills, coordination, and physical strength reach a level where holding and playing a saxophone, trombone, flute, trumpet, or clarinet becomes possible. Fifth graders learn quickly, absorbing everything in their environment at a rapid pace. They are incredibly social, and thrive on any opportunity to work together in a group. For children who find social interactions awkward or difficult, playing a musical instrument in an ensemble provides a very different, positive way to interact with one’s peers.
The benefits of music study - particularly large ensemble instrumental or choral study - are well documented. Everything from better test scores (across the board) to reduced anxiety, increased coordination to better spatial intelligence, improved self-discipline to a better work ethic. Most importantly, music students develop a strong appreciation for creativity and art. With that comes a better understanding of the world around us, which leads to greater community engagement and strong social bonds. All of this promotes a healthier and happier life. Everyone wants that for their child.
If we were to get every child started on a musical instrument in a large ensemble setting by fifth grade, wonderful things would happen. But it would require not just every child making music, but every parent supporting the process. Every school administrator endorsing the program. And every music teacher raising the bar on how we teach music.
As I was writing this, one of my readers sent me a link to an opinion piece by guest essayist Sammy Miller from Saturday’s New York Times titled “We’re Teaching Music to Kids All Wrong.” Little did the reader know how in line with today’s letter this article is. In fact, in my opinion, Miller is spot on. Music teachers need to be doing better by their students, and parents need to be doing better by their children. Miller says, “we need to start by rethinking how we teach music from the ground up, both at home and in the classroom.”
We need to encourage the learning of music as creative play. To value hearing and composing above memorization and precision. And to teach music like a language, where we learn bit by bit through immersion and accept that we are not fluent from day one. Or even in year one.
What I’ve said in the past about learning an instrument as an adult also holds true for children. It’s challenging. Downright difficult. You don’t sound good at first, and that’s ok. In fact it’s a good thing. (For more about this, see my letter from July 11 of this year titled “It’s good to be bad at something”.) Most children will push through each learning phase, getting better bit by bit, until they sound pretty darn good when playing their instrument. The challenges of sounding “bad” at first won’t typically present much of an issue for the student. But a parent’s reaction to how their child sounds can and will impact their willingness to continue. An offhand comment or joke about how a child sounds playing their instrument could have devastating consequences. No child wants to think that a parent believes they sound awful on a musical instrument. Parents need to separate their intent (a harmless joke) from their impact (a child feeling shame over their ability level in the earliest months of learning something). We need to push our children forward, not sugarcoating everything, but understanding where the child is in the process of learning and what that should sound like in reality. Let’s lift our kids up in this process, rather than cutting them down.
If schools required band for all fifth graders, and parents stepped up, encouraging their child every step of the way, children would excel in music. And studies show that improvements would be seen throughout their studies, not just in the arts.
If schools required band for all fifth graders, music teachers would need to rethink how they approach this important ensemble in the classroom, helping reduce attrition in band programs during those early formative years. Kids dropping band is a real issue, and I’ve met many, many adults who later in life regretted their decision to stop playing music in their youth. But when they made that decision, it was done in the context of school programs that made continuing a challenge for them. In a world that requires band for all 5th graders, band directors would need to address these challenges head on.
I know I am biased. I am a music educator and I have seen, repeatedly, the impact music has on the lives of children. If you are resistant to this idea, I ask that you reflect on what biases you may harbor. Why do you think this wouldn’t work? Does it have to do with your lived experience studying music? Please dig deep if you react negatively to the idea of requiring large ensemble music study for all 5th graders. And if you’re still convinced it’s not a good idea, tell me why in the comments.
If you studied music in your youth, share your experience in the comments with the parents who read this. How has it impacted your life? What was it like to be in band as a child? If you could do it all over again, would you? And why, or why not? I really do want to hear all sides.
I am convinced this is a good idea. Every child should make music. Make art. Dance and sing.
Be creative.
~Russ
You make a strong argument. Much of it is the same argument we made when NAMM was lobbying the ESEA (I was on the team for 7 years). Kids with early elementary arts and music instruction do better as a group. A lot better, and they keep getting better as they age. Eventually, and in conjunction with partners ranging from The Grammy's, VH1 and the NEA to grassroots arts coalitions we were able to have language inserted into Title 3 defining Arts and Music as 'core curriculum', which seems arcane, but forces schools to offer instruction.
And of course 5th grade is the perfect time for Band. For one thing, the boys have caught up to the girls with fine motor skills. But, having spent 42 years running music stores with piano instruction, and having been to hundreds of recitals, and having run a regional piano competition for 20 years, I have a few additional thoughts.
If you would like to see a thriving 5th grade band program, have a 3rd grade, required, piano program. Not strings, not recorder....piano. (keyboard) Here's why. It is reasonable to assume that when a human hears a pleasant sound, they are more likely to want to pursue it. Conversely, an unpleasant sound will be avoided.
It is not reasonable to expect a 4 to 10 year old to produce a pleasant sound on a cheap violin with a cheap bow; as anyone who has ever endured an elementary string recital can attest. But everyone can produce a pleasant sound on a piano the first time they touch a key. Further, musical tones are linear, from low to high. a piano keyboard or a guitar fretboard are also linear, so it is more understandable for kids than some abstract set of combinations of finger movements. Especially when it comes time to read music. And of course, singing in any form must be encouraged from a very early age.
We can look east to our friends in China, Korea and Japan for confirmation. Basically almost every kid plays piano from age 5, and has for generations. We can track their academic accomplishments in STEAM related subjects, or we can look at YouTube video of their middle school bands to see the results.
So YES....5th Grade band for every kid who wants to play. But there is an opportunity for girls starting at age 5 and some boys at 7, that can lead to bigger and better bands.
Finally, people are more likely to play a piano or guitar all their lives than a horn, our best efforts notwithstanding, so it only seems fair to give them this skill set early.
The Junior High I went to in CT made it so that if you participated in band, orchestra, or chorus you did not have to take general music - a class that I have many feelings on but won't go into here. Needless to say, our performing ensembles were full and we learned music by playing music together.