Flute Punch

Music educators have a vested interest in helping people understand the importance of music — partly so their school programs don’t get cut, and partly because they see first-hand what music does for kids. In doing this, we often relegate music to a supporting role, listing study after study showing how music improves math grades or helps kids regulate emotion.

Screw that. You know why? Because music is worth studying for music’s sake. This world would be nothing without music. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who enjoys a day — just one day — without music. Music on the morning commute, on our iPods, in our movies, at our parties, in our lonely bedrooms, in our churches, even in our elevators. Why? Because we need it. Because it does something to us that can’t be explained, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s OK to understand the intrinsic value of music without having to quantify it.

But for those who enjoy quantification, here’s a video that does a pretty good job of it without degrading music to a supporting role. Enjoy.