What Does Socrates Believe That Music Should Be The Foundation Of Education

According to Socrates, rearing in music is most sovereign (401d) Why would Socrates possible believe that music should be the foundation of education? Socrates, unlike the modern world, does not limit music only to what is sung by the tongue or played by the hands , but instead defines music as all that arises from the heart, soul, and mind. According to this definition , music includes literature, plays and television, and also songs. Once you begin to understand this broad definition of music, you can grasp its power and weight. Music should be the starting point and foundation of education for the following reasons: music can be understood from a young age, music influences, and shapes the mind in a permanent manner, and finally
because music is relevant to all stages of life. The first reason music should be the foundation of education is because it can be understood from a young age. When a person begins to educate a young child, they do not start off with advanced mathematics or Plato's Republic, but instead with a story that the young one can understand. Children need to develop the tools needed to decipher and comprehend intense subject matter, but the ability to understand music is innate even in the very young. Not only is the ability to understand music innate within humans of all ages but also it begins to shape and create the tools needed for more advanced stages of the education process . Due to the fact, music is a very broad matter, that ranges from the complex to the simple, it is applicable to children regardless of their mental and spiritual stage of life. The young also enjoy music, whether it be a story or a song and this affection towards music might kindle an ever burning love of learning. Music , because the young and wrap their minds around it should be the starting point of a good education .
The second reason music should be the starting point of the education process is because it influences and shapes the mind. The minds of the young are like clay, that can be easily shaped and molded either into a shining masterpiece or crude disaster. Music is the tool used to shape the mind, whether it be by a story or song, a proper upbringing in music leads to a well-shaped mind and intellect. Musical education is like a sound foundation that allows a building to pass the test of time. It would be foolish to build a structure without a foundation, for surely it would come tumbling down, it would also be unwise to begin the construction of the mind without the foundation of music. Without a solid grounding in music, the mind is like unshaped clay, formless and without clear direction, full of untapped potential. As Proverbs 22:6 states Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Musical education is the method used to train a Child's mind so that they are firmly grounded throughout all stages of life. Music because of the permanent way it shapes the mind, should be the beginning of a well-constructed education.
The third reason music should be the focus of early education is because music is relevant throughout all stages of life.
Music has a way of touching the heart like no other branch of education, stories and songs often bring us to tears and move us in powerful ways. Music is capable of moving us throughout all stages of life. Unlike science or mathematics, which are largely irrelevant during the early stages of life, music moves both the young and old equally and with the same force and power. A sound background of music in early education is what allows it to remain relevant throughout all stages of life. Early musical education's purpose is not only to develop our character but also to inspire a future love of the great arts that compose the Socratic field of music. Without a strong and early cemented foundation in music , we might grow to loathe one of the greatest gift God has given to us humans and that is the gift of the musical arts. Another purpose of musical education is to nurture and prune the minds ability to discern between the masterpiece and the forgery. Early musical education establishes a baseline for all future music a person encounters to be compared to. If the ears and eyes are not trained to recognize a masterpiece, they also could never be expected to identify a forgery. With ears and eyes trained by musical education, a person can harness the awesome power of music to develop into the person God intended them to be throughout all stages of
life. Some people say that not music, but some other branch of academia should be the centerpiece of education ,but those who believe such things do not fully examine the issues.
No other field of academic study comes remotely close to impacting the mind as powerfully as music. Some suggest that math and science should be the focus of education, but when was the last time a math problem brought a person to tears or shaped their view of morality? When was the last time a child instead of emulating a heroic figure from a book instead decided to follow in the footsteps of the number four? Other fields of education simply do not have the weight and power to influence the young like
music.
Music should ,as Socrates states, be the primary focus of early education because the young can comprehend it's beauty, It powerfully shapes and impacts the mind and finally because it remains relevant throughout all stages of life. The awe-inspiring power of music does not only shape and form the minds of the young more than any other aspect of the educational process but also shapes and forms the world that we live in like no other force on earth.