Financial Literacy in the Music Classroom

I believe that that regardless of content area, it is extremely important for every teacher to take some part in teaching students about financial literacy.  It is part of the real world that effects each and every one of them.

I have given some brief units with my 7th grade general music before on being intelligent music consumers and how it is important to make smart choices about what kind of music  to buy, how much to spend, and what medium to spend it on.  We also have some lessons about MAKING money in music, and how to use that money wisely as a musician.  Both these items also lead us to briefly discussing copyright laws, which somewhat go hand in hand with being a music consumer!

It's nice to see this perspective -- of not only the costs of students buying music to enjoy, but also that music students could possibly earn money for their efforts. I remember seeing a group of students playing their instruments merely for fun and entertainment, then someone listening walked up, opened one of their music cases without saying a word, and placed a few dollar bills in it. The students were surprised and I think probably amazed when others quietly came forward to drop in appreciative donations. It was probably the start of a new career, or at least something they could do in the future, to learn it's alright to accept donations from an appreciative audience. Afterall, musical instruments can cost a small fortune, which is a third area of financial literacy for music students to consider. How much better is the more costly instrument? There are many considerations which require students to be not just intelligent musicians, but sharp consumers.