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Music gives a
soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life
to everything.
- Plato
Perhaps the most
important question running through your (the reader's) mind is..."Why a
music-related business, like a conservatory of music?" Stated simply, a
love of music...and belief in the proven benefits that a music education can
provide!
"Every
student in the nation should have an education in the arts."
This is the opening statement of "The Value and Quality of Arts Education: A
Statement of Principles," a document from the nation's ten most important
educational organizations, including the American Association of School
Administrators, the National Education Association, the National Parent
Teacher Association, and the National School Boards Association.
The benefits conveyed
by music education can be grouped into four categories:
Success in society
§
Secondary students who
participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current
use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs). - Texas
Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. Reported in Houston Chronicle,
January 1998
§
The very best engineers
and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without
exception, practicing musicians. - Grant Venerable, "The Paradox of the
Silicon Savior," as reported in "The Case for Sequential Music Education in
the Core Curriculum of the Public Schools," The Center for the Arts in the
Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989
Success in school
§
A study of 237 second
grade children used piano keyboard training and newly designed math software
to demonstrate improvement in math skills. The group scored 27% higher on
proportional math and fractions tests than children that used only the math
software. - Graziano, Amy, Matthew Peterson, and Gordon Shaw, "Enhanced
learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal
training." Neurological Research 21 (March 1999).
§
Physician and biologist
Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants.
He found that 66% of music majors who applied to medical school were
admitted, the highest percentage of any group. 44% of biochemistry majors
were admitted. - As reported in "The Case for Music in the Schools," Phi
Delta Kappan, February 1994
Success in developing
intelligence
§
A research team
exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music
training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing
children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math
and science. - Shaw, Rauscher, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb, "Music
training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children's
spatial-temporal reasoning," Neurological Research, Vol. 19, February 1997
§
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. - 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.
Success in life
§
"Music is about
communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying music in
school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their
lives, and experience the world from a new perspective." - Bill Clinton,
former President, United States of America
§
"Studying music
encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into
intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. An
association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted. Creating and
performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification
while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports
demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients. For all these
reasons, it deserves strong support in our educational system, along with
the other arts, the sciences, and athletics." - Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.,
Leading Heart Surgeon, Baylor College of Music. |
