| The idea that studying music improves the social | | | | students given piano instruction over a three-year |
| development of a child is not a new one, but at last | | | | period. The researchers also found that self-esteem |
| there is incontrovertible evidence from a study | | | | and musical skills measures improved for the students |
| conducted out of the University of Toronto.The study, | | | | given piano instruction.And data from the National |
| published in the August issue of Psychological Science | | | | Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 revealed music |
| was led by Dr. E. Glenn Schellenberg, and examined | | | | participants received more academic honors and |
| the effect of extra-curricular activities on the intellectual | | | | awards than non-music students, and that the |
| and social development of six-year-old children. A | | | | percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, |
| group of 144 children were recruited through an ad in a | | | | and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- |
| local newspaper and assigned randomly to one of four | | | | participants receiving those grades.In 1994, a report |
| activities: piano lessons, voice lessons, drama lessons, | | | | entitled "The Case For Music Study In Schools" was |
| or no lessons.Two types of music lessons were | | | | printed in Phi Delta Kappan, the professional print |
| offered in order to be able to generalize the results, | | | | journal for education. It included details of research |
| while the groups receiving drama lessons or no | | | | conducted by physician and biologist Lewis Thomas, |
| lessons were considered control groups in order to | | | | who studied the undergraduate majors of medical |
| test the effect of music lessons over other art lessons | | | | school applicants. Thomas found that 66 percent of |
| requiring similar skill sets and nothing at all. The activities | | | | music majors who applied to medical school were |
| were provided for one year.The participating children | | | | admitted, the highest percentage of any group.The |
| were given IQ tests before and after the lessons. The | | | | same report asserted that the very best engineers |
| results of this study revealed that increases in IQ from | | | | and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry |
| pre- to post-test were larger in the music groups than | | | | were, almost without exception, practicing |
| in the two others. Generally these increases occurred | | | | musicians.The world's top academic countries also |
| across IQ subtests, index scores, and academic | | | | place a high value on music education. In a study of |
| achievement.While music teachers across the country | | | | the ability of fourteen year-old science students in |
| greeted the new research enthusiastically, in fact, | | | | seventeen countries, the top three countries were |
| many other studies have previously shown a | | | | Hungary, the Netherlands, and Japan. All three include |
| correlation between music study and academic | | | | music throughout the curriculum from kindergarten |
| achievement.In 1997, well known music researchers | | | | through high school.St. Augustine Bronx elementary |
| Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw and their team at | | | | school, about to fail in 1984, implemented an intensive |
| the University of California (Irvine) reported that music | | | | music program, and today 90 percent of the school's |
| training is far superior to computer instruction in | | | | students are reading at or above grade level. And a |
| dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning | | | | ten-year study at UCLA tracked more than 25,000 |
| skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science. | | | | students, and showed that music making improves test |
| A group led by the same two scientists had earlier | | | | scores. Regardless of socio-economic background, |
| showed that after eight months of piano lessons, | | | | music-making students get higher marks in |
| preschoolers showed a 46 percent boost in their | | | | standardized tests than those who had no music |
| spatial reasoning IQ.The March 1999 issue of | | | | involvement. The test scores studied were not only |
| Neurological Research published a report by another | | | | standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in |
| group of researchers, also at the University of | | | | reading proficiency exams.Music training helps |
| California (Irvine), who found that second-grade | | | | under-achievers as well, according to research |
| students given four months of piano keyboard training, | | | | published in Nature magazine in May 1996. In Rhode |
| as well as time playing newly designed computer | | | | Island, researchers studied eight public school first |
| software, scored 27% higher on proportional math and | | | | grade classes. Half of the classes became "test arts" |
| fractions tests than other children.Students with | | | | groups, receiving ongoing music and visual arts training. |
| coursework and experience in music performance and | | | | In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in |
| music appreciation scored higher on the SAT, | | | | scholastic performance. After seven months, the |
| according to a Profile of Program Test Takers | | | | students were given a standardized test. The "test |
| released by the Princeton, NJ, College Entrance | | | | arts" group had caught up to their fellow students in |
| Examination Board in 2001. This report stated that | | | | reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22 |
| students in music performance scored 57 points higher | | | | percent. In the second year of the project, the arts |
| on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and | | | | students widened this margin even further. Students |
| students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher | | | | were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. |
| on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did | | | | Classroom teachers noted improvement in these |
| students with no arts participation.Another part of this | | | | areas also.In 2005, it appears the pace of scientific |
| same study shows that longer music study means | | | | research into music making has never been greater. |
| higher SAT scores. For example, students participating | | | | The most recent evidence from the University of |
| in the arts for two years averaged 29 points higher on | | | | Toronto confirms what many other researchers have |
| the verbal portion and 18 points higher on the math | | | | already detected - that music boosts brainpower, |
| portion of the SAT than students with no coursework | | | | academic achievement,socialization skills, and emotional |
| or experience in the arts. Students with four or more | | | | health.It's logical, when you think about it. People who |
| years in the arts scored 57 points higher and 39 points | | | | learn to play an instruments are in groups -- bands, |
| higher on the verbal and math portions respectively | | | | choirs, orchestras, combos, worship teams, etc. And |
| than students with no arts coursework.Another study | | | | working and making music with others is bound to help |
| also found support for a relationship between math | | | | relateabilty with people and foster close bonds with |
| achievement and participation in instrumental music | | | | fellow musicians.So it appears that learning to play |
| instruction. The researchers found that students who | | | | music, whether guitar, piano, or some other instrument, |
| participated in instrumental music instruction in high | | | | actually does contribute to your ability to "win friends |
| school took on the average 2.9 more advanced math | | | | and influence people."Duane Shinn is the author of over |
| courses then did students who did not participate.In | | | | 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, |
| fact, various studies over the last 10 years suggest | | | | musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, |
| teaching kids music can heighten their aptitude for | | | | and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He |
| math, reading, and engineering. (One explanation for | | | | holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon |
| improved ability in mathematics is that music theory is | | | | University and was the founder of Piano University in |
| based on mathematical truths. Rhythms are divided | | | | Southern Oregon. He can be reached at He is the |
| into fractions - half notes, quarter notes and eighth | | | | author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter |
| notes. Scales have eight tones, and the steps | | | | titled "Amazing Secrets Of Piano Chords & Sizzling |
| between them follow an equation.)A McGill University | | | | Chord Progressions" with over 55,000 current |
| study in 1998 found that pattern recognition and mental | | | | subscribers. |
| representation scores improved significantly for | | | | |