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The importance of music education is difficult to overstate. At Saint Abraham’s Classical Christian Academy musical instruction makes up a central part of our curriculum for two reasons: 1) we are a Classical school, and 2) we are a Christian school.

 

1) As a Classical school, we emphasize what is known as the Trivium and the Quadrivium. The Trivium consists of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, while the Quadrivium consists of Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy. As part of the Quadrivium, music is one of the seven liberal arts and is essential to a classical education. This may seem odd since our modern context largely views music as a specialization. But as G.K. Chesterton observed, this situation is ridiculous. “Once men sang together round a table in chorus; now one man sings alone, for the absurd reason that he can sing better. If scientific civilization goes on…only one man will laugh, because he can laugh better than the rest.”[1] Music education is not merely for some musical elite, but rather for everyone. In addition to the sheer joy that comes from making music, research has demonstrated making music also has educational [2] and developmental[3] benefits. At Saint Abraham’s these benefits are available to every child.

 

2) As a Christian school, we recognize Scripture itself calls on believers to become musically literate. “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings.”[4] Admonitions such as this are not at all uncommon in the Psalms. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul urges the Church in Colossae, “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.”[5] Moreover, the music we listen to informs our worldview and helps shape our lives. “We affirm that the art and music of a community is a canon by and through which a community understands its place and itself. The art and music of a community, therefore, is the necessary poetic knowledge of the community, rather than simply entertainment for the community.”[6] At Saint Abraham’s we are helping form disciples of Jesus by making music that honors the Lord and directs our hearts Godward.

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[1] G.K. Chesterton, Heretics, (New York: John Lane Company, 1905), 229.

[2] “Students who participate in music education frequently do better than their peers on many measures of academic achievement such as grade-point averages and standardized tests like the SAT or ACT.” Donald A. Hodges and Debra S. O’Connell, “The Impact of Music Education on Academic Achievement,” The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005, accessed August 23, 2017, https://vpa.uncg.edu/mri/research-areas/_files/solproject_final.pdf.

[3] “Children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory.” Oxford University Press, “First Evidence That Musical Training Affects Brain Development In Young Children,” ScienceDaily, September 20, 2006, accessed August 23, 2017, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060920093024.htm. 

[4] Psalm 33:3, NRSV.

[5] Colossians 3:16, NRSV.

[6] “The Lancaster Declaration On Classical Christian Education And The Arts,” in Teaching Beauty: A Vision For Music and Art In Christian Education, ed. G. Tyler Fischer with Ned Bustard (Baltimore, MD: Square Halo Books, 2016), 147.