May 16, 2010
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Why should the Credo High School Music Program be increased...?
Students can choose music at the High School, and as far as I know, there is so called "Band" and an extra curricular option for choir. Why do students choose for music education? Some like music and play an instrument, others would like to learn to play an instrument, then there are those that would like a break from the other school work and activities, and there might be the attraction of a band-tour.
Compared to the number of students enrolled in music education today, this number should be much higher, if the positive benefits are considered. I am convinced that one part-time... No... one full-time music teacher would not be enough if the following finding would be taken seriously. It would make parents to stimulate their children much more to take music than anything else in High School.
* The world's top academic countries place a high value on music education. Hungary, Netherlands and Japan have required music training at the elementary and middle school levels, both instrumental and vocal, for several decades.
~ 1988 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IAEEA) Test* 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, June 13, 2000* 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 of 1988* 78% of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects.
~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003* 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, 1994* 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, 2000* 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, 2001* 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," 2003* 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, 1994* 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, March 15, 1999* 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 (IAEEA) Test, 1988* 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, 2000* Teaching through the arts motivates children and increases their aptitude for learning.
~ Eric Jensen, Arts With the Brain in Mind, 2001* 95% of Americans in a 2003 Gallup Poll believe that music is a key component in a child's well-rounded education; three quarters of those surveyed feel that schools should mandate music education.
~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003* Martin Gardiner of Brown University tracked the criminal records of Rhode Island residents from birth through age 30, and he concluded the more a resident was involved in music, the lower the person's arrest record.
~ Music Linked to Reduced Criminality, MuSICA Research Notes, Winter 2000* With music instruction in schools, teachers found that students were less aggressive.
~ Konrad, R.R., Empathy, Arts and Social Studies, 2000* Students of lower socioeconomic status gain as much or more from arts instruction than those of higher socioeconomic status.
~ James Catterall et al., 1999* Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8-12 increased their math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. But just as important, reading, history, geography and even social skills soared by 40%.
~ Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey and Knowles, (Music Education Statistics and Facts – Continued)* In 2003, 54% of American households reported having a least one musical instrument player, the highest figure since the study began in 1978.
~ Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003* The College Entrance Examination Board found that students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math than students with no arts participation.
~ College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001* Music training helps under-achievers. Students lagging behind in scholastic performance caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22% when given music instruction over seven months.
~ Nature, May 23, 1996* College-age musicians are emotionally healthier than their non-musician counterparts for performance anxiety, emotional concerns and alcohol-related problems.
~ Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998* 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.
~ Rauscher, F.H., et al., Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children's spatial temporal reasoning, 1997* U.S. Department of Education data show that students who report consistently high levels of involvement in instrumental music during the middle- and high-school years show "significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12."
~ James Catterall, Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanaga, "Involvement in the Arts and Human Development," 1999* Children who have received music instruction scored higher marks on tests of their spatial and arithmetic skills.
~ Rauscher, F.H., Shaw, G.L., Levine, L.J., Wright, E.L., Dennis, W.R., and Newcomb, R., Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children's spatial temporal reasoning, 1997* The foremost technical designers and engineers in Silicon Valley are almost all practicing musicians.
~ Dee Dickinson, Music and the Mind, 1993Based on these findings, promoting music eductation under high school students will positively impact their skills and abilities. Not promoting music education could mean withholding something from the students that they could benefit from for the rest of their lives.
Comments (3)
Your thesis appears to be that Credo ought to encourage, if not require, a
greater involvement in music because doing so will improve the academic
outcomes of students. I agree that music ought to be an integral part of
education, but none of examples make the case. The reason is simple;
correlation is not causation. Your conclusion is a cum hoc ergo propter
hoc (comes with therefore because of) logical fallacy.
Take for example the following:
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 of 1988
The question that is left unanswered by this citation is whether students have higher grades
by virtue of their participation in Music or, which on the face of it is
equally likely, that students who earn high GPAs are more likely to take
Music.
This is, I would submit, the more likely answer. The connection between
mathematics and music is well known. Pythagoras, well known for his equation
a2 + b2 = c2 is also
responsible for our understanding of harmonic
series &emdash; the overtone series.
I would submit that what most of what you have cited indicates only
that students who are already inclined to do well in academics, especially math, will tend to
do well in Music.
Further, quoting opinion polls does even less to establish causation:
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," 2003
95% of Americans in a 2003 Gallup Poll believe that music is a key
component in a child's well-rounded education; three quarters of those
surveyed feel that schools should mandate music education. Gallup
Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003
All these mean is that people think musical instruction is
beneficial; people think all sorts of false statements are true. The first
quote is another instance of the cum hoc falacy. Does playing an
instrument make teens more disciplined or are disciplined teens more likely
to have the discipline to learn an instrument?
This is not to say I disagree with the conclusion. Quite to the contrary, I
think that it is no accident that music is one of the seven parts of the
classic liberal arts. My problem is that we should never put forth good
ideas based on bad reasoning.
@ Adam - Thanks for your reaction Adam. You are correct in stating that there are many unanswered questions about these findings. This week I heard on the radion that researchers have shown that learning music does not make you smarter, however there are many studies by other researchers that "prove" the opposite. It seems that for every study or finding there is an other one proving the opposite conclusions.
I don't want to ignore all research if the results are summarized conclusions and cannot be verified, are opinions, or leave other options open. Sometimes these short statements can start a discussion and that is the reason why I posted this.
Love this post! I can attest to the fact that in my home, music has had a massive impact on my children's capacity to learn. We have 5 children. 3 of them have struggled with reading, spelling and/or mathematics. I had two of them tested for learning disabilities when they were young as dyslexia runs in both mine and my husband's family. They both were diagnosed with disabilities but, fortunately, nothing as extreme as dyslexia.
My 4 oldest children began to study violin at 5 or 6 years of age. We started with the Suzuki method since I felt that would be the best method for them, considering their learning issues. The youngest began Cello at the age of 8. We had to hold him back in kindergarten due to his difficulty to adjust to school life. We did not want to burden him with music lessons at too early of an age. His training was much more traditional, utitilizing the Royal Conservatory method.
All my children have completely different personalities and ways of learning. I have watched each one of them blossom as we continued to encourage them in their musical training. Their attention spans improved. Their memorization skills improved. Their hand/eye coordination improved. Their self motivation skills improved. Their ability to tackle problem solving improved. Their self esteem increased. The growth has been quite amazing to watch.
Now they range in ages from 22 to 15. The oldest has produced a number of CD's and has a bit of a fan following in the Netherlands. The next one teaches violin. The third will be attending University to further her music studies in Voice. The last 2, both still highschool age, have formed a group and are promoting their services for weddings and parties.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that music training has been instrumental in their intellectual development. Each of them has academic achievements higher than we would have expected considering their early difficulties. Music has offered them opportunities to experience things that most young people don't get to see. They all have attended or are still attending Credo High. The school has been as understanding as possible about the time away from class which the kids have needed to pursue what is considered by the school as "extra curricular". So, although they have been supportive, I do wish they could have found a way to recognize their academic achievements in their musical pursuits.
My children have quoted some of their teachers over the years as saying "Your parents put your music above your school work! That's so totally backwards" or "School first, music second" and other sorts of like things. I am disappointed that our school is unable to recognize that music training is just as academic as biology or french.
Anyway, I feel greatly blessed that we have been able to provide our kids with a musical education that will stay with them for the rest of their lives and will hopefully enhance the lives of those around them as they continue to pursue their love of the arts. Here are a few links to check out of their amazing achievements....
http://www.youtube.com/user/adrianviolin#p/u/1/CDFrtDz4tEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72fIQUFErI0
http://www.youtube.com/user/darvonda123#p/u/3/avvW0rT1vDo
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