Advocacy

Studies and Statistics

Cortical organization in attention, skill, anxiety management and emotional control accelerate the more a child trains on an instrument.

University of Vermont College of Medicine / Washington Post 2015

Music Education Aids Cognitive Development ... brain scans show that music students had more-developed auditory pathways than their peers ... these pathways had an impact on students' academic progress as well as their musical abilities. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2016

Students with coursework/experience in music performance scored 53 points higher on the verbal portion of the SAT and 43 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework or experience in the arts for a combined total of 92 points higher.

The College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2006

Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district. Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in math than students in deficient music programs.

Christopher M. Johnson and Jenny E. Memmott, Journal of Research in Music Education, 2006

Data shows that high earnings are not just associated with people who have high technical skills. In fact, mastery of the arts and humanities is just as closely correlated with high earnings, and, according to our analysis, that will continue to be true.

Tough Choices or Tough Times: The report of the new Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, 2007

College admissions officers continue to cite participation in music as an important factor in making admissions decisions. They claim that music participation demonstrates time management, creativity, expression, and open-mindedness.

Carl Hartman, “Arts May Improve Students’ Grades,” 1999

Over nine in ten adults (93%) surveyed agree that music is part of a well-rounded education.

Americans’ Attitudes Toward Music, 1997

Music students receive more academic honors and awards than non-music students. A higher percentage of music participants received A’s, A’s/B’s, and B’s than non-music participants.

National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study

Music can make a difference for young people from low socioeconomic status (SES). A 1998 research study found that low SES students who took music lessons from 8th through 12th grade increased their test scores in math and scored significantly higher than those of low SES students who were not involved in music. Math scores more than doubled, and history and geography scores climbed by 40 percent.

Americans for the Arts

Studying music strengthens students’ academic performance. Studies have indicated that sequential, skill-building instruction in art and music integrated with the rest of the curriculum can greatly improve children’s performance in reading and math.

Martin Gardiner, Alan Fox, Faith Knowles, and Donna Jeffrey, “ Learning Improved by Arts Training”

The College Board identifies the arts (including music) as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college. “Preparation in the arts will be valuable to college entrants whatever their intended field of study.”

Academic Preparation for College, The College Board

An analysis of the U.S. Department of Education NELS:88 database of over 25,000 students followed over a ten-year period found that a higher percentage of students who were involved in music scored higher on standardized tests, reading and reading proficiency exams than those students who were not involved in music programs, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997

Honor Groups:

  • Williamsville Music Students average 30% of the All County Bands, Orchestras and Choirs every year. One out of every three students at All County is from the Williamsville Schools.

  • Williamsville Music Students are consistently selected to ECMEA All County, NYSSMA Area All State and All State, NYSBDA Honor Bands, Jazz Ensembles and several national organizations.