Music's Impact - Elem.-H.S.

Music's Impact: Elementary to High School; from "Music Advocacy Action Kit," provided
by The Selmer Company for School Reform sessions
presented by Tim Lautzenheiser and Michael Kumer at
the 1999 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago
: * Singing sight words to kindergarten children helped; them to learn the words much faster than those children; learning the words without the teacher singing them.; - Sharlene Habermeyer, "Good Music, Brighter Children."; (California: Prima Publishing, 1999), 131.; * A 1981 study by Minicucci showed that kindergarten; students' basic skills achievement scores increased when; music was added to the curriculum.; - Jeanne Akin, "Music Makes a Difference." (Lafayette,; California: Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation, 1987).; * Studying music strengthens students' academic; performance. Studies have indicated that sequential,; skill-building instruction in art and music integrated with; the rest of the curriculum can greatly improve children's; performance in reading and math.; - Martin Gardiner, Alan Fox, Faith Knowles, and Donna; Jeffrey, "Learning Improved by Arts Training," Nature,; May 23, 1996.; * A study conducted in 1982 by Delehanty found that first; graders learn to read and write within a few weeks when; learning lessons to music.; - Sharlene Habermeyer, "Good Music, Brighter Children."; (California: Prima Publishing, 1999), 135.; * A 1984 study by Mueller found that physical, mental,; emotional, and social development is faster when students; learn a musical instrument.; - Jeanne Akin, "Music Makes a Difference." (Lafayette,; California: Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation, 1987).; * In 1998, scientists explored how a newly designed; computer math game coupled with either piano lessons or; English-training affected second-grade students'; performance in math. After four months, the students; who had piano keyboarding along with the computer game; did 27 percent better on questions devoted to fractions; and proportional math than those students who received; the language training with the computer game.; - Amy Graziano, Matthew Peterson, and Gordon Shaw,; "Enhanced Learning of Proportional Math Through Music; Training and Spatial-Temporal Training." Neurological; Research, vol. 21, no. 2, March 1999.; * Researchers have proved that music training is a; powerful tool for increasing spatial-temporal reasoning; skills, the skills crucial for greater success in subjects like; math and science.; * When handicapped children in the Clover Park School; District in Tacoma, Washington, were taught basic; academic skills through music, they were consistently; able to learn more easily. Music helped in teaching them; perceptual skills, according to researchers Appell and; Goldberg.; - Jeanne Akin, "Music Makes a Difference." (Lafayette,; California: Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation, 1987).; * A two-year Swiss study involving 1,200 children in 50; schools showed that students involved in the music; program were better at languages, learned to read more; easily, showed an improved social climate, showed more; enjoyment in school, and had a lower level of stress than; non-music students.; - E.W. Weber, M. Spychiger, & J.L. Patry, 1993.; * Dr. Lassar Golkin brought music games into schools to; help teach academic skills. Children who were unable to; learn in a traditional school setting were able to learn the; skills set to musical games.; - Sharlene Habermeyer, "Good Music, Brighter Children."; (California: Prima Publishing, 1999), 151.; * A 1985 study by Edward Kvet showed that student; absence from class to study a musical instrument does not; result in lower academic achievement. He found no; academic achievement difference between sixth grade; students who were excused from class for instrumental; study and those who were not, matching variables of sex,; race, IQ, cumulative achievement, school attended, and; classroom teacher.; - Spin-Offs: The Extra-Musical Advantage of a Musical; Education, Cutietta, Hamann, and Walker (Elkhart,; Indiana: United Musical Instruments U.S.A., Inc., 1995).; * Studies have found that elementary students who; received daily music instruction had fewer absences than; other students.; - B.S. Hood III, "The Effect of Daily Instruction in Public; School Music and Related Experiences upon Non-musical; Personal and School Attitudes of Average Achieving; Third-Grade Students" (doctoral dissertation, Mississippi; State University); * There is a very high correlation between positive self-; perception, high cognitive competence scores, healthy; self-esteem, total interest and school involvement, and; the study of music.; - O.F. Lillemyr, "Achievement Motivation as a Factor in; Self-Perception," Norwegian Research Council for Science
and the Humanities; * Upon integration of the arts into major subjects in; fourteen New York elementary and secondary public; schools, student behavior improved strikingly in such; areas as taking risks, cooperating, solving problems, taking; initiative for learning, and being prepared. Content-related; achievement also rose.; - Dee Dickinson, "Learning Through the Arts." (Seattle:; New Horizons for Learning, 1997).; * The U.S. Department of Education lists the arts as; subjects that college-bound middle and junior high school; students should take, stating, "Many colleges view; participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience; that broadens students' understanding and appreciation of; the world around them. It is also well known and widely; recognized the arts contribute significantly to children's; intellectual development."; - "Getting Ready for College Early: A Handbook for Parents; of Students in the Middle and Junior High School Years,"; U.S. Department of Education, 1997.; * Music can make a difference for young people from low; socioeconomic status (SES). A 1998 research study found; that low SES students who took music lessons from 8th; through 12th grade increased their test scores in math and; scored significantly higher than those of low SES students; who were not involved in music. Math scores more than; doubled, and history and geography scores climbed by 40; percent.; - James Catterall, Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanga.; Involvement in the Arts and Human Development:; Extending an Analysis of General Associations and; Introducing the Special Cases of Intensive Involvement; in Music and in Theater Arts. Monograph Series No. 11,; (Washington, D.C.: Americans for the Arts, Fall 1999).; * An analysis of the U.S. Department of Education; NELS:88 database of over 25,000 students followed over a; ten-year period found that a higher percentage of students; who were involved in music scored higher on; standardized tests, reading and reading proficiency exams; that those students who were not involved in music; programs, regardless of their socioeconomic background.; - Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997.; * Students with coursework/experience in music; performance scored 53 points higher on the verbal portion; of the SAT and 39 points higher on the math portion than; students with no coursework or experience in the arts; for a combined total of 92 points higher.; - Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The; College Board, 1999.; * Courses in music, as well as in art and drama, positively; influenced the decisions of high school students not to; drop out of school.; - N. Barry, J. Taylor, & K. Walls, "The Role of the Fine and; Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention"; (Tallahassee, Florida: Center for Music Research, Florida; State University, 1990).; * 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 A's,; A's/B's, and B's was higher than the percentage of non-; participants receiving those grades.; - NELS:88 First Follow-Up, 1990, National Center for; Education Statistics, Washington, DC.; * The College Board identifies the arts (including music); as one of the six basic academic subject areas students; should study in order to succeed in college. "Preparation; in the arts will be valuable to college entrants whatever; their intended field of study."; - Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need; to Know and Be Able to Do, 1983 [still in use], The College; Board, New York.; * Longer arts study means higher SAT scores. For; example, students participating in the arts for two years; averaged 29 points higher on the verbal portion and 19; points higher on the math portion of the SAT than; students with no coursework or experience in the arts.; Students with four or more years in the arts scored 61; points higher and 45 points higher on the verbal and math; portions respectively than students with no arts coursework.; - Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The; College Board, 1999.; * Admissions officers at 70 percent of the nation's major; universities have stated that high school credit and; achievement in the arts are significant considerations for
admission to their institutions.