Klarinet Archive - Posting 000199.txt from 2002/09

From: Michael Moors <mdmoors@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Music/Academics studies?
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 00:11:16 -0400

Studies on Music and Academic Achievement
There have been a number of studies done on the effect of music on academic
Development. It has been shown that high school music students have higher
grade point averages than non-music students in the same school. At Mission
Viejo High School in Southern California in 1981, the overall grade point
average of music students was 3.59 and for non-music students the overall
grade point average was 2.91. This same study also found that 16% of the
music students had a 4.0 overall grade point average and only 5% of the
non-music students had a 4.0 overall grade point average.3 A study of
graduates of the New York City School of Performing Arts found that 90% of
them go on to college. Rees feels that involvement in high school music
programs helps students develop the skills necessary for a variety of
occupations. She states: "Successful music students tend to possess the
qualities and skills that are generally considered essential to employers
in business, education and service organizations."5 She also recognizes
that music education assists students in improving their writing,
communication skills and DOES improve analytical skills. Rees further
states that to be successful in music, takes a great deal of
self-discipline and notes that "music majors have the highest SAT scores in
all areas."
Fred Hargadon, former Dean of Admissions for Stanford University, in a 1983
interview with Stauffer said, "We look for students who have taken part in
orchestra, symphonic band, chorus and drama. It shows a level of energy and
an ability to organize time that we are after here. It shows that they can
carry a full academic load and learn something else. It means that these
particular students already know how to get involved and that's the kind of
campus we want to have." Christensen (Biernat) has found that research
studies have consistently shown that participation in student activities is
beneficial to students.6 Success in college can be more accurately
predicted by levels of individual achievements in student activities
(drama, debate, music etc.) than it can from SAT scores, class rank and
grades in school. Conversely, studies of dropout students show that these
students have had the least amount of participation in school activities.
The Mode of American Youth (Biernat) reported that the most frequent
co-curricular activity in American high schools was participation in a
musical group. They reported that 38.3% of all high school students say
that they belonged to a band, orchestra or choir.

At 10:24 PM 9/13/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>As background, our superintendent has decided that to provide more time for
>academics, they're going to phase out the instrumental music program in the
>middle schools. (This is one more hairbrained scheme that has proven this
>man is an idiot, IMO.) They're only going to allow beginning band in the
>9th grade, by the end of the phase out, and the band will essentially
>function only as a football pep band.
>
>One of our top family physicians told the board that they were making a
>serious mistake; that they were trying to dump the one program that actually
>was statistically proven to improve academic scores.
>
>Does anyone know where such a (legitimate) study is that we could show to
>the school board? Any help is appreciated. They've already dropped the 6th
>grade program this year.
>
>Jim Hobby
>
>
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