THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

It is widely believed that a truly “whole” person is one who’s intellectual and emotional responses are normally developed; yet, our patterns in education tend to stress the intellectual and ignore the emotional. The arts, because of their emotional demands, make for a stronger bond between persons who can share in the art experience. This is especially so of music which has long been termed the universal tongue. It is a form of communication in which every human being can participate. Many studies have shown that it is not by accident that we find minimal behavior problems amongst the students who are involved with music study. It is now believed that the child who becomes involved in expressing himself/herself through the media of music takes in new dimensions in his or her psychological, behavioral and sociological relationships. In this paper, we shall draw upon the experiences of music educationists from various countries, and as a consequence, it is reaffirmed that for a holistic and balanced development of students’ personalities music study should be mandatory in school curriculum.