In a 2000 survey, 73% of respondents agree that teens who play an instrument are less likely to have discipline problems. ~ Americans Love Making Music - And Value Music Education More Highly Than Ever, American Music Conference, 2000.
Students who can perform complex rhythms can also make faster
and more precise corrections in many academic and physical situations,
according to the Center for Timing, Coordination, and Motor Skills.
~ Rhythm seen as key to music's evolutionary role in human intellectual development, Center for Timing, Coordination, and Motor Skills, 2000.
A ten-year study indicates that students who study music
achieve higher test scores, regardless of socioeconomic background.
~ Dr. James Catterall, UCLA.
A 1997 study of elementary students in an arts-based program
concluded that students' math test scores rose as their time in arts
education classes increased. ~ "Arts Exposure and Class Performance," Phi Delta Kappan, October, 1998.
First grade students who had daily music instruction scored
higher on creativity tests than a control group without music
education. ~ K. L. Wolff, The Effects of General Music
Education on the Academeic Achievement, Perceptual-Motor Development,
Creative Thinking, and School Attendance of First-Grade Children, 1992.
In a Scottish studyh, one group of elementary students
received musical training, while another group received an equal amount
of discussion skills training. After 6 months, the students in the
music group achieved a significant increase in reading test scores,
while the reading test scores of the discussion skills group did not
change. ~ Sheila Douglas and Peter Willatts, Journal of Research in Reading, 1994.
According to a 1991 study, students in schools with
arts-focused curriculums reported significantly more positive
perceptions about their academic abilities than students ina comparison
group. ~ Pamela Aschbacher and Joan Herman, The Humanitas Program Evaulation, 1991.
Students who are rhythmically skilled also tend to better plan, sequence, and coordinate actions in their daily lives. ~ "Cassily Column," TCAMS Professional Resource Center, 2000.
In a 1999 Columbia University study, students in the arts are
found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more
self-confident, and better able to express their ideas. These benefits
exist across socioeconomic levels. ~ The Arts Education Partnership, 1999.
College admissions officers continue to cite participation in
music as an important factor in making admissions decisions. They claim
that music participation demonstrates time management, creativity,
expression, and open-mindedness. ~ Carl Hartman, "Arts May Improve Students' Grades," The Associated Press, October 1999.