Music education’s impact on children

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Here is a very interesting article on music from the website: “Children’s Music Workshop”.

Introduction

Making the music argument with music education statistics is crucial in music education advocacy. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2% graduation rate and 93.9% attendance rate compared to schools without music education, which average 72.9% graduation and 84.9% attendance. Schools that have music programs have an attendance rate of 93.3% compared to 84.9% in schools without music programs.

1-About musical studies and college grads

Anne Charlotte Poirier is a 2024 graduate in medical sciences 
from Laval University, Quebec city.

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
Also read article on Lauriane Bélisle here.

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

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

78% of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects. ~ Gallup Poll, “American Attitudes Toward Music,”

2-Teenagers who play music

With music in schools, students connect to each other better.

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

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

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,”

3-University students

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.

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
Also read article by CIndy Boily-Thibeault here.

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 and Music Education Statistics

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

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

Teaching through the arts motivates children and increases their aptitude for learning. ~ Eric Jensen, Arts With the Brain in Mind