Music education quotes are short lines about why teaching and learning music matters, useful for a concert program, a booster-club flyer, a classroom wall, or an advocacy letter to a school board. The strongest ones are genuinely attributable — and a few of the most-shared “Plato” lines are not, so this collection sorts them by use and flags the misattributions.
Quotes for Advocacy and Programs
For arguing that music belongs in school.
“Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.”
— Aristotle, Politics
“Education in music is most sovereign because more than anything else rhythm and harmony find their way to the innermost soul and take strongest hold upon it.”
— Plato, The Republic (translation varies)
The Aristotle line is the most reliable of the classical quotes — it appears in Politics and holds up under scrutiny. It’s a strong choice for a school-board letter precisely because it’s sourced.
Quotes About What Music Teaches
For a program note or classroom wall.
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
— Victor Hugo
“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer
“To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.”
— Aaron Copland
Quotes for Music Teachers
For a card, a tribute, or a teacher’s own wall.
“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all the arts are the keys to learning.”
— commonly attributed to Plato; the attribution is unverified and likely apocryphal
“Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens.”
— Shinichi Suzuki
The Suzuki line, from the founder of the Suzuki method, is a genuine and useful statement of what many music teachers believe they’re really doing. For lines about teaching in general, see teaching quotes.
A Note on the Fake Plato Quotes
Two of the most-shared “Plato” music quotes are not his. “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind…” is widely circulated but does not appear anywhere in Plato’s works; scholars have traced it to a much later paraphrase. The “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy” line is likewise undocumented in the dialogues. If you’re printing a quote on a program or citing one in a letter, use the sourced Aristotle line or a modern attributable quote rather than these. The same caution applies to many popular education quotes, as covered in education quotes.
How to Use a Music Education Quote
Match the quote to the audience. For a school board or budget argument, a sourced classical line like the Aristotle carries authority. For a concert program, a line about what music expresses — Hugo, Copland — fits the mood better than an advocacy point. Always check attribution before printing; a fabricated “Plato” quote on an official document undercuts the case you’re making. For related material, see quotes about learning.
FAQ
What is a good quote about music education?
Aristotle’s “Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young” is both fitting and reliably sourced to his Politics.
Did Plato say “music is a moral law”?
No. That quote is widely attributed to Plato but does not appear in his works; it’s a later paraphrase. Use a sourced quote instead.
Is there a real Plato quote about music education?
Yes — the line from The Republic about music education finding “its way to the innermost soul” is genuine, though wording varies by translation.
Are these music education quotes correctly attributed?
Each line notes its real source, and the popular fabricated “Plato” quotes are flagged as unverified rather than repeated as fact.
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