Klarinet Archive - Posting 000202.txt from 2002/09

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Music/Academics studies?
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 01:03:08 -0400

I believe that music helps young people
grow in many ways. Growing in steps from
short term goals to long term goals,
learning to analyze and solve problems,
and even learning "how we learn" are all
part of the experience of learning
music. Learning to truly concentrate and
apply one's self in an efficient way is
but one of many skills that apply to
almost any effort or goal we undertake.

The goal of music programs is not
necessarily to train students to become
professional musicians, but to train
people to have sophisticated, higher
level thinking and problem solving skills.

Pumping Mozart to the unborn in mommy's
belly won't do an ounce of good if the
school boards find fine arts and
humanities dispensable. The world
already has enough winning and loosing
football teams. What we need are winning
children who have a rich environment in
which to grow ...an early life that
teaches love, compassion, empathy,
humility, and exults the dignity,
intellect and goodness that is the
potential richness bestowed upon us.

As to whether music makes people
smarter, or whether smart people are
attracted to music is a chicken and egg
type question. I think music helps make
people more human and gives them a carte
blanche ticket to a richer a fuller life.

Michael Moors wrote:

> 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.
>
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> 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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