Music Education Statistics and Facts

The following is a sampling of information regarding the positive benefits music has on a child’s
life. We hope you take the time to review the list.
* Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school.
~Lewis Thomas, Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa, 1994
* Students who participate in school band or orchestra have the lowest levels of current and
lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in our society.
~ H. Con. Res. 266, United States Senate, June 13, 2000
* High school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages (GPA) than
non-musicians in the same school.
~ National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988
* 78% of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other
subjects.
~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003
* Nine out of ten adults and teenagers who play instruments agree that music making brings the
family closer together.
~ Music Making and Our Schools, American Music Conference, 2000
* With music in schools, students connect to each other better-greater camaraderie, fewer fights,
less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm.
~ Eric Jensen, Arts With the Brain in Mind, 2001
* 71% of Americans surveyed by the Gallup Poll believe that teenagers who play an instrument
are less likely to have disciplinary problems.
~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003
* A study of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest reading
scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.
~ The Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa, 1994
Music Education
Statistics and Facts
(Music Education Statistics and Facts – Continued) * Students who were exposed to music-based lessons scored a full 100% higher on fractions tests than those who learned in the conventional manner. ~ Neurological Research, March 15, 1999 * The schools that produced the highest academic achievement in the United States today are spending 20% to 30% of the day on the arts, with special emphasis on music. ~ International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IAEEA) Test, 1988 * Music enhances the process of learning. The systems they nourish, which include our integrated sensory, attention, cognitive, emotional and motor capacities, are shown to be the driving forces behind all other learning. ~ Konrad, R.R., Empathy, Arts and Social Studies, 2000 * Teaching through the arts motivates children and increases their aptitude for learning. ~ Eric Jensen, Arts With the Brain in Mind, 2001 * During moments of musical euphoria, blood travels through the brain to areas where other stimuli can produce feelings of contentment and joy-and travels away from brain cell areas associated with depression and fear. ~ Dr. Frederick Tims, reported in AMC Music News, June 2, 1999 * Students of lower socioeconomic status gain as much or more from arts instruction than those of higher socioeconomic status. ~ James Catterall et al., 1999 * 95% of Americans in a 2003 Gallup Poll believe that music is a key component in a child's well-rounded education; three quarters of those surveyed feel that schools should mandate music education. ~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003 * Martin Gardiner of Brown University tracked the criminal records of Rhode Island residents from birth through age 30, and he concluded the more a resident was involved in music, the lower the person's arrest record. ~ Music Linked to Reduced Criminality, MuSICA Research Notes, Winter 2000 * With music instruction in schools, teachers found that students were less aggressive. ~ Konrad, R.R., Empathy, Arts and Social Studies, 2000 * Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8-12 increased their math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. But just as important, reading, history, geography and even social skills soared by 40%. ~ Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey and Knowles.

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