Why Music?

I believe that music is vitally important to the development of a child. Research has shown that children who are involved in music, either playing instruments or singing, have better test scores and are more emotionally healthy than children without music. Even without looking at the data available, most people can agree that music has helped them in one way or another. Parents around the country have taught their child the alphabet through song. Personally, most of the words I learned in Spanish class were phrases that were set to music.

Need more evidence? Here are some facts from the American Music Conference:

*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

*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

*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