Why play?

Playing music builds motivation and self-esteem

A Columbia University study revealed that students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident and better able to express their ideas. 

Burton, J., Horowitz, R., Abeles, H.

Champions of Charge, Arts Education Partnership, 1999

Students indicate  that arts participation motivates them to stay in school, and that the arts create a supportive environment that promotes constructive acceptance of criticism and one in which it is safe to take risks 

Barry, N., Taylor, K. and Walls, K.

Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, AEP, 2002

Music Lessons boost thinking skills

Young children who received a year of musical training showed brain changes and superior memory compared with children who did not receive the instruction.

Fujjioka, T., Ross B., Kakigi, R., Pantiv, C., and Trainor L.,

Brain, A Journal of Neurology, Sep 2006

A study examined the influence of music education on nonmusical abilities, the effects of music lessons on academic performance, and cognitive abilities.   The study revealed that students who participated in music lessons showed statistically higher intelligence quotients.

Glen Schellenberg, Musical Lessons enhance IQ,

Psychological Science Vol 15, No 8, 2004

Music Fosters Well-being

A study of rural and urban inner-city schools found that arts programs helped schools in economically disadvantaged communities develop students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Stevenson L., Deasy, R.

Third Space, When Learning Matters, AEP 2005

With music in schools, students connect to each other better – greater camaraderie, fewer fights, less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm.

Jensen, E., Arts with the Brain in Mind

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001

The vast majority – 96 percent – of the school principals interviewed in a recent study agree that participation in music education encourages and motivates students to stay in school.   Further, 89 percent of principals feel that a high-quality music-education program contributes to their school achieving high graduation rates.

Harris Interactive Poll 2006

Learning music builds skills for the future

The skills gained through sequential music instruction, including discipline and the ability to analyze, solve problems, communicate and work cooperatively, are vital for success in the 21^st century workplace.

U.S. House of Representatives,

Concurrent Resolution 365, March 6, 2006  

From an NAMM brochure 'Why Learn to Play Music'

Why do med schools accept 60% of music majors and 40% of biochemistry majors?

A look at music in the schools

By Jamie Allen

Story reproduced from the

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Playbill

by permission of the author

© The Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Of course music lessons are enriching in their own right, but there is mounting evidence that a high-quality music education in school has, broadly speaking, three major benefits. It helps young people to develop intellectual capacity, to remain committed to attending school, and to do better in later years, whether pursuing music professionally or in using skills that transfer to other fields.

How does music do this, specifically? Well, let’s start with the brain. Unlike math or language, there is no one location in the brain that is dedicated to musical processing. Instead, music making promotes the growth of neural connections all over the brain. It strengthens the synapses that enable the brain to learn, thus making it nothing less than a basic building block of intelligence. In fact a 2004 study published in Psychological Science revealed that students who participate in music lessons have statistically higher IQs than those who don’t.

What are some of the highly valuable skills gained through the study of music? Here are just a few: increased spatial-temporal reasoning, the mental flexibility to think and read ahead while performing a precise task in the present, the ability to consider options in real time and make quick decisions, abstract thinking (without the aid of words), empathy, impulse control, deferred gratification, and the discipline and honest self-evaluation that comes with good practice habits.

Memory is another area where music plays a huge role. A 2006 study published in the scientific journal Brain indicates that young children who receive a year of musical training show superior memory when compared with children who do not receive musical training.

And then there are the numbers. A recent UCLA study of 25,000 students over the course of ten years proved that music-making students outperform their non-musical peers not only in standardized tests (like the SAT), but also many other types of tests, such as reading-proficiency exams. SAT scores for young musicians, in fact, come in at an average of 100 points higher, which could mean the difference between going to college or not. And here’s a couple of tidbits I found to be particularly eyebrow-raising: (1) music majors consistently earn the highest reading scores among all majors, including English, biology, chemistry and math; (2) music majors enjoy the highest acceptance rate to medical school (yes, medical school) than any other major: 66 percent (by comparison, only 44 percent of biochemistry majors are admitted).

When principals and administrators begin to realize the impact that a vibrant music program can have on their campus, the effect is widespread. Not only do the students benefit, but the teachers as well. Music has been proven to increase teacher retention and instructional innovation, help develop a positive, campus-wide professional culture (that the students then model), increase a school’s stature and engagement in the community, and give the school a strong sense of identity. I’m happy to report that I am beginning to see all of these transformations occur in campuses around the metroplex. If we keep moving ahead in this direction, we will equip tomorrow’s workforce with the creative spirit, energy and brain power, they will need to succeed in the 21st century. Now that’s a musical transformation we can all take to the bank.