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Music and Academic Achievement

Average final exam grades across Grade 11/12 English, Grade 10 Math and Science were 4% higher for music students compared to non music student scores. Standardized test scores of students enrolled in a music program were an average 10.7 points higher compared to those not enrolled. Students in grades 4-8 enrolled in the program showed ‘differences that correspond with approximately one-quarter and one third of a letter grade respectively’ (English Language Arts and math). School’s with music programs deemed ‘excellent’ had 22% better English scores and 20% math scores compared with schools with less quality programming.

• A Population-Level Analysis of Associations Between School Music Participation and Academic Achievement – University of British Columbia

• Music education, academic achievement, and executive functions – City University of New York City

• Examination of Relationships between Participation in School Music Programs of Differing Quality and Standardized Test Results – University of Kansas

Music and Post-Secondary Success

Music education is correlated with higher chances to apply, attend and earn a 4 year degree at a young age. For attending college and earning a degree at a young age, every additional year increased these chances. Arts students were 29% more likely to apply for college than non arts students. Music students were 55% more likely to attend any postsecondary school and each extra year of music education went with an 18% increase of attendance. Music students were also 29% more likely to earn a 4 year degree between 24-32 and each extra year of music education went with a 12% increase of earning one.

• Estimating the effect of music and arts coursework on college admissions outcomes – University of Maryland, USA

• Arts Education and Positive Youth Development: Cognitive, Behavioral, and Social Outcomes of Adolescents who Study the Arts – University of Maryland, USA

Music and Reading Skills

Stronger reading and prereading skills have been found to correlate with music education. Vocabulary scores increased by almost 15% more for students taking piano lessons than non music students.

Word identification scores of kindergarten age children increased on average 4 times more after regular music sessions compared to the control group of children not taking regular music lessons.

The average reading comprehension scores of 6-9 year old’s with 2.7 years of music training were 5% higher than the highest average score (90-110) on formal reading comprehension tests. Correlation exists between music education and improved reading skills.

• The effect of piano lessons on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills of primary grade students – Long Island University, USA

• The Effects of an Early Intervention Music Curriculum on Prereading/Writing – Florida State University

• Associations Between Length of Music Training and Reading Skills in Children – McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Music and Mental Health

Better mental wellbeing is correlated with music education. Greater feelings of optimism and self confidence are associated with being involved in music education, lower stress levels are associated with listening to music, and lower depression and anxiety scores are associated with the implementation of music therapy treatments alongside pharmacological treatment. Stress levels were 46% percent lower during tests for students listening to ‘pleasant music’ compared to those listening to ‘unpleasant’ or indifferent music. It was also found to be correlated with lower stress levels and improved academic performance. Heart rates (representing stress and anxiety) decreased by 5% while listening to classical music. After music therapy sessions alongside pharmacological treatment, anxiety scores lowered significantly by almost 67% and depression scores lowered by 57%.

• Mozart Effect, Cognitive Dissonance, and the Pleasure of Music – Laval University, Quebec, Canada

• Effects of Music Preference and Selection on Stress Reduction – University of Louisville

• Music therapy in generalized anxiety disorder – Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Calzada México

• Higher Education music students? perceptions of the benefits of participative music making – Durham University and University College London

Music and Social Skills

Correlation exists between music education and higher emotional intelligence and empathy, both indications of enhanced social skills. For initially low scoring students, those who received 10 months of group music education scored 10% higher on tests of sympathy and 12% higher on tests of general prosocial skills compared to non-music students. Students enrolled in a music specialized school scored on average 4% higher than students enrolled in general education on tests of general emotional intelligence and 9% higher than non-music students on tests of empathy.

• Group Music Training and Children’s Prosocial Skills – University of Toronto and MacEwan University

Music and Verbal Skills

When music education is implemented and prolonged in life, there are higher increases in verbal retention and verbal IQ scores for music students compared to non music students, and significant jumps in verbal sequencing ability. Research shows a 22% increase in verbal sequencing skills after 3 years of piano, an 11% increase in verbal retention compared to discontinued music students after 1 year of continued musical training and a 9% increase in verbal IQ for music students enrolled in school music programming compared to non music students following 2 and a half years.

• The effect of piano lessons on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills of primary grade students – Long Island University, USA

• Music Training Improves Verbal but Not Visual Memory: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Explorations in Children – Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Longitudinal Analysis of Music Education on Executive Functions in Primary School Children – VU University Amsterdam, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Enschede and University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Music and Motor Skills

More music kids are high performing in bimanual dexterity and coordination tests compared to both kids with sports training and no training. For college students, pianists have higher bimanual reaction times than those with no musical training, 12% more kids were high performing in bimanual and dexterity tests with music training compared to sports training and 20% more kids were high performing in bimanual and dexterity tests with music training compared to no training. In addition to this, bimanual reaction time was 8% faster in music students compared to non music students.

• Orff-Based Music Training Enhances Children’s Manual Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination – University of Porto, Porto and Piaget Institute, Almada, Portugal

• The effect of music training on unimanual and bimanual responses – Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Shanghai Normal University, China

Music and Transferable Skills

The development of important transferable skills in a child is correlated with music education. Better social and communication skills, self-confidence, as well as teamwork and cooperation all have been shown to be associated with increased music education.

In a self reporting study, 55% of music students reported social skill development and 26% of music students reported teamwork development. In addition to this, 32% of music students reported an increase in self confidence and 14% reported increased cooperation skills.

• Higher education music students’ perceptions of the benefits of participative music making – University of Durham and University of London, UK

• Longitudinal Analysis of Music Education on Executive Functions in Primary School Children – VU University Amsterdam, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Enschede and University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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