Music's Impact: Elementary to High School - Part 1
taken from "Music Advocacy Action
Kit," provided
by The Selmer Company for School Reform sessions
presented by Tim Lautzenheiser and Michael Kumer at
the 1999 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago
* Singing sight words to kindergarten children helped them to learn the
words much faster than those children learning the words without the teacher singing them.
- Sharlene Habermeyer, "Good Music, Brighter Children." (California: Prima
Publishing, 1999), 131.
* A 1981 study by Minicucci showed that kindergarten students' basic skills
achievement scores increased when music was added to the curriculum. - Jeanne Akin,
"Music Makes a Difference." (Lafayette, California: Lafayette Arts and
Science Foundation, 1987).
* Studying music strengthens students' academic performance. Studies have
indicated that sequential, skill-building instruction in art and music integrated with the
rest of the curriculum can greatly improve children's performance in reading and math.
- Martin Gardiner, Alan Fox, Faith Knowles, and Donna Jeffrey, "Learning Improved by
Arts Training," Nature, May 23, 1996.
* A study conducted in 1982 by Delehanty found that first graders learn to read and
write within a few weeks when learning lessons to music. - Sharlene Habermeyer,
"Good Music, Brighter Children." (California: Prima Publishing, 1999), 135.
* A 1984 study by Mueller found that physical, mental, emotional, and social
development is faster when students learn a musical instrument. - Jeanne Akin,
"Music Makes a Difference." (Lafayette, California: Lafayette Arts and
Science Foundation, 1987).
* In 1998, scientists explored how a newly designed computer math game coupled
with either piano lessons or English-training affected second-grade students' performance
in math. After four months, the students who had piano keyboarding along with the
computer game
did 27 percent better on questions devoted to fractions and proportional math than those
students who received the language training with the computer game. - Amy Graziano,
Matthew Peterson, and Gordon Shaw, "Enhanced Learning of Proportional Math Through
Music Training and Spatial-Temporal Training." Neurological Research, vol. 21,
no. 2, March 1999.
* Researchers have proved that music training is a powerful tool for increasing
spatial-temporal reasoning skills, the skills crucial for greater success in subjects like
math and science.
Next week:
Music's Impact: Elementary to High School - Part 2
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