In summer 2026, Bandology and KidSport Ontario set out to answer a simple question: what do the arts and sport actually do for a young person? We reviewed research from Canada, the United States, and around the world, covering mental health, school, friendships, healthy habits and long-term success.
Both give kids positive, healthy ways to manage stress and feel better.
Arts: In a randomized trial, a 17-week school music program cut the share of students showing signs of depression from 13% to under 2%, and anxiety from 14% to 5%. [1]
Time in band, studio, rehearsal, practice, or play supports learning; it does not compete with it.
Bands, teams, casts, and clubs turn school into a place where kids are known and expected.
Arts: Among low-income youth, nearly all students with rich arts experiences finished high school. Only 4% didn’t make it to graduation, versus 22% of students with little or no arts involvement. [14]
Athletics: Varsity athletes had nearly 20% fewer absences and were about one-third less likely to be chronically absent than non-athletes. [15]
Group performance and team play teach kids to listen, cooperate, adjust, and carry responsibility.
Athletics: Adults who played sports growing up were more likely to score high on grit: 34% vs. 23% for adults who did not. [9]
Even before the pandemic, Canadian youth averaged 3.8 hours a day on recreational screens, nearly double the two-hour guideline. [21]
Arts: Kids in arts and other after-school programs are significantly less likely to spend two or more hours a day on recreational screens. Teens who have less than two hours of phone usage report more life satisfaction and optimism, and less anxiety and depression, and the link between longer screen use and poorer mental health is strongest for girls. Right now, only 28% of Canadian teens are within that two-hour guideline. [10] [20]
Athletics: Only 37% of Canadian children and youth get the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity, and just 4% meet the full 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, which balance activity, low screen time, and sleep. For teen girls it’s worse: just 8% meet the daily activity recommendation, down from 21% a few years earlier. That’s why welcoming, accessible school and community programs matter most for girls. [11] [20]
Rehearsal and practice make feedback, repetition, and steady improvement feel normal.
Arts: Low-income students with rich arts experiences went on to college more often: 71%, versus 48% of similar students with little arts involvement. [14]
Athletics: High school athletes were about 9 to 12 percentage points more likely to attend a four-year college, even after researchers matched students on family background, ability, and personality. [16]
The case is strongest when programs reach students who would not otherwise have access to enrichment, coaching, or safe after-school spaces.
Arts: Among low-income students, kids with rich arts experiences were more than twice as likely to attend a four-year college: 39% vs. 17%. [14]
Arts and play help children practice skills that travel into school, work, and civic life.
Arts: A long-term study from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a US government arts agency, followed students into adulthood. Arts students were 55% more likely to continue their education after high school and 29% more likely to earn a four-year degree. [12]
Athletics: 94% of women in top executive (C-suite) roles played sports. In the same report, 74% of the women surveyed said a sports background helps accelerate a woman’s career, and 61% said sport contributed to their own success. [13]
Bandology would like to thank Mikolaj Koziol for this collection of research that was created as part of his MBA studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.