Film Analysis: Here Comes The Boom

When education funding is reduced, one of the first programs to be cut is almost always the music education program. Even though music education has had proven benefits to anyone involved, the program is often placed on the chopping block. One depiction I have found of the effect music education has on children’s lives is from the movie Here Comes the Boom. This film is a comedy that revolves around a teacher who becomes an MMA fighter to raise money for the music program which was cut when the school’s budget faced shortfalls. More importantly, this movie shows how music programs can strongly influence the lives of children in a positive way. The storyline sparked my curiosity and prompted me to explore what scientific research exists and

In Education Week’s article "Studies Highlight Brain Benefits from Music Training" it is found that music training “can create a lot of plasticity that can produce effectiveness across the brain, in cognition and behavior" (Sparks 6). High plasticity of the brain means that the brain is able to make necessary changes for development more easily, and that is a benefit of music education that simply cannot be ignored. Another study not only backs up Sparks’s article, but it also states that “this plasticity allows for higher levels of creativity and divergent thinking… as well as improved brain health into later life” (Collins 6). The benefits of music education, according to this research, have far reaching implications. If music education has shown to improve creative thinking as well as lengthen life span, this alone should be ample evidence of the importance of music education, however, there is even data to suggest that music education can improve quality of life after catastrophic events. According to Sparks, “even after stroke and disease, starting musical training can still help you get more from your brain” (6). Brain plasticity is, by these descriptions, essential to our continual growth as human beings, and music education has been proven to improve this very important function. Students enrolled in band and orchestral programs will experience this benefit in many other areas of their lives as