"Did You Know?
Middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music
scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests.
University studies conducted in Georgia and Texas found significant correlations
between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic
achievement in math, science and language arts.
Source: University of Sarasota Study, Jeffrey Lynn Kluball; East Texas State
University Study, Daryl Erick Trent
Students who were exposed to the music-based lessons scored a full
100 percent
higher on fractions tests than those who learned in the conventional manner.
Second-grade and third-grade students were taught fractions in an untraditional
manner ‹ by teaching them basic music rhythm notation. The group was taught
about the relationships between eighth, quarter, half and whole notes. Their
peers received traditional fraction instruction.
Source: Neurological Research, March 15, 1999
Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be
admitted to
medical school. Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate
majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66 percent of music majors
who applied to med school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group.
For comparison, (44 percent) of biochemistry majors were admitted. Also, a study
of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest
reading scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.
Sources: "The Comparative Academic Abilities of Students in Education and in
Other Areas of a Multi-focus University," Peter H. Wood, ERIC Document No.
ED327480
"The Case for Music in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, February, 1994
Research shows that piano students are better equipped to comprehend
mathematical and scientific concepts. A group of preschoolers received private
piano keyboard lessons and singing lessons. A second group received private
computer lessons. Those children who received piano/keyboard training performed
34 percent higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the others ‹
even those who received computer training. "Spatial-temporal" is basically
proportional reasoning - ratios, fractions, proportions and thinking in space
and time. This concept has long been considered a major obstacle in the teaching
of elementary math and science.
Source: Neurological Research February 28, 1997
Young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically in early
school years. Findings of a recent study showed that there was a significant
difference in the academic achievement levels of students classified according
to rhythmic competency. Students who were achieving at academic expectation
scored high on all rhythmic tasks, while many of those who scored lower on the
rhythmic test achieved below academic expectation.
Source: "The Relationship between Rhythmic Competency and Academic
Performance in First Grade Children," University of Central Florida, Debby
Mitchell
High school music students score higher on SATs in both verbal and math than
their peers. In 2001, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance
scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 41 points higher
on the math portion than students with no coursework/experience in the arts.
Source: Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board,
compiled by Music Educators National Conference, 2001.
College-age musicians are emotionally healthier than their non-musician
counterparts. A study conducted at the University of Texas looked at 362
students who were in their first semester of college. They were given three
tests, measuring performance anxiety, emotional concerns and alcohol related
problems. In addition to having fewer battles with the bottle, researchers also
noted that the college-aged music students seemed to have surer footing when
facing tests.
Source: Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998
A ten-year study, tracking more than 25,000 students, shows that music-making
improves test scores. Regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making
students get higher marks in standardized tests than those who had no music
involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as
the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams.
Source: Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997
The world's top academic countries place a high value on music education.
Hungary, Netherlands and Japan stand atop worldwide science achievement and have
strong commitment to music education. All three countries have required music
training at the elementary and middle school levels, both instrumental and
vocal, for several decades. The centrality of music education to learning in the
top-ranked countries seems to contradict the United States' focus on math,
science, vocabulary, and technology.
Source: 1988 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement (IAEEA) Test
Music training helps under-achievers. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight
public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became "test arts"
groups, receiving ongoing music and visual arts training. In kindergarten, this
group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months, the
students were given a standardized test. The "test arts" group had caught up to
their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22
percent. In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this
margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior.
Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.
Source: Nature May 23, 1996
"Music education can be a positive force on all aspects of a child's life,
particularly on their academic success. The study of music by children has been
linked to higher scores on the SAT and other learning aptitude tests, and has
proven to be an invaluable tool in classrooms across the country. Given the
impact music can have on our children's education, we should support every
effort to bring music into their classrooms."
Source: U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM)
"The nation's top business executives agree that arts education programs can
help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the
21st century."
Source: "The Changing Workplace is Changing Our View of Education," Business
Week, October 1996."