BENEFITS OF THE STUDY OF MUSIC

Benefit one: The study of music helps students achieve success in school.

Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: 53 points higher on the verbal and 39 points higher on the math for music performance, and 61 points higher on the verbal and 42 points higher on the math for music appreciation than students with no arts participation.
-1999 College-Bound Seniors National Report Profile of SAT Program Test Takers, The College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, New Jersey

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 bio-chemistry majors were admitted.
-As reported in "The Case for Music in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappa, 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

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 fraction tests than children that used only the math software.
-Graziano, Peterson, Shaw, "Enhanced learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal training, "Neurological Research, Vol. 21, March 1999

Information provided by MENC: The National Association for Music Education, NAMM: The International Music Products Association and NSBA: The National School Boards Association.
Visit the MENC website at http://www.menc.org/
The results of these and other studies are available at http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html

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