Music Theory/Music Skills classes should be mandatory course's for all students to take.

I'd like to start my first debate here by saying I'm intrigued by this site, this is just what we need. Something to refine our ideas, and be exposed to views we may have never considered before. Too the case. Music is all around us. Everyone has a favorite band or artist, and many people themselves are involved with music. Though, what is the benefit of music besides entertainment? Is it just that? Evidently not according to Dr. Lawrence Parsons of the University of Texas-San Antonio. In 1998 he revealed the results of his research to the Society for Neuroscience at their annual meeting in Los Angeles, it showed that significantly more of the brain was being used during music making than previously thought. "Dr. Parsons analyzed music's influence on the brain by examining expert musicians. One of the studies found that expert musicians use widely dispersed, interconnected brain areas when they intently listen to different aspects of a piece of music including its rhythm, melody, and harmony." - Nature, New York Times "The Brain and Music" (http://www.nytimes.com...) In other words, seasoned musicians are able to use more of their brain while deducing and/or playing a piece. Perhaps the same 'widely-dispersed' areas of the brain will be activated when analyzing math, english or science. At that is in fact what it will do. In the Rutgers Focus article, "Music Helps Students Retain Math" published Mar 6, 2006, by Pam Orel, she reported on the "three-year study [that] was conducted by Maya Ruvinshteyn, instructor in mathematics at Essex County College and Rutgers-Newark, and Leonard Parrino, mathematics professor at Essex County College." - (http://ur.rutgers.edu...) "A Rutgers instructor says that Baroque style music played during mathematics class helped students enjoy class and retain more information. The research builds on studies linking certain music to improvements in learning... After the first month, surveys showed that students who listened to music were more likely to enjoy class (86 percent vs. 76 percent) and less likely to find mathematics challenging (33 percent vs. 46 percent). Similar changes were noted in both groups regardless of which instructor taught the course. Pre- liminary results also indicated an improvement in student grades." This is an idea of the 'Mozart Effect' in which the theory lies that theory that listening to Mozart's or Baroque music can enhance intellect, or at least some components of intellectual function. The term was first coined by Alfred A. Tomatis who used Mozart's music as the listening stimulus in his work attempting to cure a variety of disorders. This brings me to my conclusion, by making Musicianship and Harmony class's mandatory in school it gives all students the opportunity to improve their analytical skills. Not only is music beneficial hand in hand with education but it is also fun. Too often students are bored in school and by offering a class like music it changes the academic feel of school to a place of art as well. Free expression is key to character development and music is a great way to become more social and increase your self esteem. "While most of us will never sing like Aretha Franklin or Celine Dion, an education in the arts can help all of us reach our individual dreams. Research now shows that music education not only lifts our children's hearts, but also dramatically increases their abstract reasoning, spatial skills, and their scores on math and verbal exams. At a time when too many arts education programs are the first to be cut and the last to be added, all of us must send a clear message. When it comes to igniting our children's ability to learn and imagine, the arts must be just as central to our children's education as the three R's." - Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and Senator of the United States