Research and Articles

Did you know??

Young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically in early school years. Findings of a recent study showed that there was a significant difference in the academic achievement levels of students classified according to rhythmic competency. Students who were achieving at academic expectation scored high on all rhythmic tasks, while many of those who scored lower on the rhythmic test achieved below academic expectation.

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

  • Attend music, art and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
  • Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
  • Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
  • Perform community service more than four times as often
  • Music education helps other disciplines of learning.

Prior to a major spurt of neural integration in the brain during the elementary school years, learning occurs through movement and quick emotional associations. For example, by age two, the brain has begun to fuse with the body via marching, dancing and developing a sense of physical rhythm. The more music children are exposed to before they enter school, the more deeply this stage of neural coding will assist them throughout their lives. *according to Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect

Research supports that music helps prepare the mind for specific disciplines of learning. One such study referenced in a 1997 article in Neurological Research indicated 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.

Source: “The Relationship between Rhythmic Competency and Academic Performance in First Grade Children,” University of Central Florida, Debby Mitchell

Did you know??

Music study can help kids understand advanced music concepts.. Music involves ratios, fractions, proportions and thinking in space and time.

Did you know??

“Music education can be a positive force on all aspects of a child’s life, particularly on their academic success. The study of music by children has been linked to higher scores on the SAT and other learning aptitude tests, and has proven to be an invaluable tool in classrooms across the country. Given the impact music can have on our children’s education, we should support every effort to bring music into their classrooms.”

>Why is making music important?

The answer is: Making music is fun.

There’s nothing new about that fact; people have known it since before recorded history. Making music brings people together, breaks down barriers and almost always leads to a good time. Playing really well can make you feel like you’re on top of the world. And even if you’re not brimming with talent, doing your best and even messing up occasionally is a lot more engaging than staring at the TV.

Making music is good for the brain.

Over the last decade, a series of new scientific studies has demonstrated a link between active music making-not just passive listening, but actually taking part-and increased brainpower. Young kids who make music show improved spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the foundation of later success in math and science. And they actually get better grades than kids who don’t take music.

Making music is good for your body.

Did you know??

Did you know that making music is a proven stress reducer? And stress on the body has been linked to the performance of the immune system. Studies show that people who make music have had higher levels of melatonin, a revitalized natural production of Human Growth Hormone-even an increase in the immune system’s natural “cancer-killer” cells.

Making music is good for the soul.

Everyone knows that music is beautiful. And beauty helps your peace of mind. But did you know the benefits of music on well-being have been scientifically measured? For example, older people who make music show reduced levels of anxiety, depression and loneliness. Among younger people, those who make music together are less likely to use drugs or get in other kinds of trouble.