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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