West Allis Central Music Association
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Research on the Impact of Music Instruction |
A new study by Dr. Agnes S. Chan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, published in July 2003 in the journal "Neuropsychology," , found that school-age students who had participated in music scored significantly higher on verbal memory tests than their classmates who had not. Researchers found that children given piano lessons significantly improved in their spatial- temporal IQ scores (important for some types of mathematical reasoning) compared to children who received computer lessons, casual singing, or no lessons. ’Äî Rauscher, F.H., Shaw, G.L., Levine, L.J., Wright, E.L., Dennis, W.R., and Newcomb, R. (1997) Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children's spatial temporal reasoning. Neurological Research, 19, 1-8. According to the NAMM/Gallup poll, 96% of respondents said that school band was a good way to develop teamwork; 95% said music was part of a well-rounded education; 93% felt schools should offer musical instrument instruction as part of regular curriculum; 85% believed participating in a school music program corresponds with better grades ; 79% felt states should mandate music education so all students have the opportunity in school; 93% said playing an instrument helps children make friends; 88% said playing an instrument teaches children discipline; 97% said playing an instrument helps a child appreciate arts and culture; 71% believed that teenages who play an instrument are less likely to have discipline problems; 78% said learning a musical instrument helps you do better in other subjects. A McGill University study found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction over a three-year period. They also found that self-esteem and musical skills measures improved for the students given piano instruction. ’Äî Costa-Giomi, E. (1998, April). The McGill Piano Project: Effects of three years of piano instruction on children's cognitive abilities, academic achievement, and self-esteem. Paper presented at the meeting of the Music Educators National Conference, Phoenix, AZ. "Music education can be a positive force on all aspects of a child's life, particularly on their academic success. The study of music by children has been linked to higher scores on the SAT and other learning aptitude tests, and has proven to be an invaluable tool in classrooms across the country. Given the impact music can have on our children's education, we should support every effort to bring music into their classrooms." Jeff Bingaman - U.S. Senator, New Mexico Brain imagery has shown increases in parts of the cerebral hemisphere and in the thickness of neural fibers connecting the two sides of the brain in children who begin stringed-instrument study before the age of seven, compared to children who are not exposed to this kind of learning. Some scientists theorize that young keyboard and string players are using both hands in ways that twentieth-century American children usually don't have to do. --From "Straight Talk about Music and Brain Research," by Ella Wilcox Music motivates students in many ways. In a look at many studies of the reinforcement value of music for education objectives, researchers found that music functions simultanously as subject matter and reinforcer of good behavior, and that there is evidence of generalized benefit to other academic and social behaviors arising from music in educational settings. The study was"A Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Music as Reinforcement for Education/Therapy Objectives," by Jayne M. Standley, Florida State University
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