Response to Mike, "Music and Education"

Should students be required to take music education? Or should it be an elective to those that are interested?


I am inclined to agree with you that, while music education certainly can be beneficial for students, it should not be required, as music is something one should have a passion for if they are going to dedicate their time learning about it. However, you could say the same thing about any school subject. Why should all students have to learn about history if only some are passionate about it? I think that young people should be exposed to a little bit of everything, so they know what is out there and can see for themselves what they are interested in. That is why we teach them a variety of things that may never be beneficial to them in their life. Maybe it would make more sense to expose young students (like elementary school age) to as much of a variety of subjects as possible, and as they get older, they can choose what they want to learn based on their interests. We already technically use this model in our society, but you pretty much have to wait until college to pick your own classes, and even then, there are many required classes. Maybe middle-schoolers should be allowed to start creating their own schedules.
Question: At what age should students be allowed to decide what they want to learn and what they don't want to learn?