Szanto, Amy - Music
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BENEFIT TWO
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Benefit Two: Success in School
Success in society, of course, is predicated on success in school. Any music teacher or parent of a music student can call to mind anecdotes about effectiveness of music study in helping children become better students. Skills learned through the discipline of music, these stories commonly point out, transfer to study skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills useful in every part of the curriculum. Another common variety of story emphasizes the way that the discipline of music study — particularly through participation in ensembles — helps students learn to work effectively in the school environment without resorting to violent or inappropriate behavior. And there are a number of hard facts that we can report about the ways that music study is correlated with success in school:
- “The
term ‘core academic subjects’ means English, reading or language arts,
mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics,
arts, history, and geography.” — No Child Left Behind Act of 2002,
Title IX, Part A, Sec. 9101 (11)
- A
study of 237 second grade children used piano keyboard training and newly
designed math software to demonstrate improvement in math skills. The
group scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than
children that used only the math software. — Graziano, Amy, Matthew
Peterson, and Gordon Shaw, "Enhanced learning of proportional math
through music training and spatial-temporal training." Neurological
Research 21 (March 1999).
- In
an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000
secondary school students (NELS:88, National Education Longitudinal
Survey), researchers found that students who report consistent high levels
of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years
show “significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.”
This observation holds regardless of students’ socio-economic status, and
differences in those who are involved with instrumental music vs. those
who are not is more significant over time. — Catterall, James S.,
Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanaga. “Involvement in the Arts and Human
Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement in Music and
Theater Arts.” Los Angeles, CA: The Imagination Project at UCLA Graduate
School of Education and Information Studies, 1999.
- Students
with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation
scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points
higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in
music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher
on the math, than did students with no arts participation. — College-Bound
Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton,
NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.
- According
to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who
can be classified as “disruptive” (based on factors such as frequent
skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary
reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total
school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in
music classes meet the same criteria as “disruptive.” — Based on data
from the NELS:88 (National Education Longitudinal Study), second
follow-up, 1992.
- Data
from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 showed that music
participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music
students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As,
As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants
receiving those grades. — NELS:88 First Follow-up, 1990, National Center
for Education Statistics, Washington DC
- Physician
and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical
school applicants. He found that 66% of music majors who applied to
medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. 44% of
biochemistry majors were admitted. — As reported in "The Case for
Music in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, February 1994
- A
study of 811 high school students indicated that the proportion of
minority students with a music teacher role-model was significantly larger
than for any other discipline. 36% of these students identified music
teachers as their role models, as opposed to 28% English teachers, 11%
elementary teachers, 7% physical education/sports teachers, 1% principals.
— D.L. Hamann and L.M. Walker, "Music teachers as role models for
African-American students," Journal of Research in Music Education,
41, 1993
- Students
who participated in arts programs in selected elementary and middle
schools in New York City showed significant increases in self-esteem and
thinking skills. — National Arts Education Research Center, New York
University, 1990
- “The
term ‘core academic subjects’ means English, reading or language arts,
mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics,
arts, history, and geography.” — No Child Left Behind Act of 2002,
Title IX, Part A, Sec. 9101 (11)