These data show that the elementary
instrumental program is not harmful to
students' academic growth, even
if these students are "pull out" of
classes considered basic.
Does this prove a cause-effect relationship?
Perhaps not. This would take a different
type of analysis which we have not yet attempted.
This conclusion from the statement from
our statistician was: "Students in the
instrumental music program appear to have
as good or better academic growth (development)
in Reading and Math as the District as a
whole. A strong case can be made that it
is, in fact, superior growth! However, the
questions must still be asked: "Does
the Instrumental music experience provide
additional discipline and practice that transfers
to other cognitive areas thereby aiding growth?
OR, do students who select instrumental music
automatically grow more anyway? In any event,
a student's academic growth is not compromised
by engaging in learning to play a musical
instrumental and it is this researcher's
opinion that instrumental music participation
actually aids in cognitive growth."
I think this same type comparison could
be made in any district in the State, and
I think the results would be the same. Try
it. If the results are not favorable, just
don't tell anyone! If they are favorable,
use them. Hard data is more influential win
non-musicians than opinion, and we need all
the help we can get!
GROUP NO. STUDENTS READING MATH CONCEPTS
MATH PROBLEM Grade 3rd 6th 3rd 6th 3rd 6th
Instrumental 554 79 78 78 83 79 75
General 1608 79 78 78 83 79 75
A STUDY
OF EVIDENCE THAT
MUSIC EDUCATION IS A POSITIVE FACTOR
IN K-8 STUDENT
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Thesis by Jeane Akin, California State University,
Sacramento, California
Chapter 4 The Data, 1987
Introduction
In order to bring about statewide use of
music in the general curriculum, legislators
and other school policy makers must be convinced
of its value. Arts education advocates are
convinced that music education helps children
learn in school. As writers and public speakers
they announce their belief in the efficacy
of arts curriculum. This conviction has arisen
from their personal observations that music
students are usually successful in academic
achievement. Additionally, classroom teachers
observe that when music is added to a lesson,
students retain more of the lesson than when
no music was used. These observations have
been made by the author as well during 20
years of teaching students in grades K-8.
Such observations have led to the development
of education research into the question of
whether or not what is being observed can
be measured and reported. At present there
is no definitive answer, but there is a growing
body of work that affirms what has been observed.
Arts education advocates now must bring the
information developed from this work to the
attention of legislators and others school
policy makers to convince them of the value
of music in the curriculum.
The following conclusions of education research
give support to the phenomenon that teachers
observe -- music education provides opportunity
to learn academic skills. The data is organized
by topics on the following pages:
- Arts Education and Academic Achievement
- Music Education and Academic Achievement
- Music and Pre-Learning.
- Music in Reading Instruction
- Music and Math Achievement
When definitive conclusions are needed,
more evidence will be studied in this area
by future researchers who can build upon
the work outlined here.
Arts Education and Academic Achievement
Arts education leads to academic achievement.
(Music is an integral part of all arts education.)
An educational research firm, CEMREL, Inc.,
has issued a report in 1980 which concluded
that in 67 specific studies made in California,
student achievement in reading, writing and
math improved when the arts were included
in curriculum (Milley, Buchen, Okerlund & Mortarotti,
1983). In an arts enriched instruction, music
accompaniment to reading a foreign language
produces accelerated learning and increased
retention, according to studies developed
by Dr. Georgi Lozanov (Ostrander & Schroder,
1979). Interest in academic learning is increased
in an arts enriched curriculum. ninety percent
of the graduates of New York City's School
of Performing Arts, Division of Fiorello
H. La Guardia High School of Music and Arts
go on to college (Kaufman, 1976).
Music Education and Academic Achievement
Music education has a positive effect on
providing opportunities for academic achievement.
High school music students have been shown
to hold higher grade point averages (GPA)
than non-musicians in the same school in
a 1981-82 study at Mission Viejo High School
in California (Horne, 1983). It should be
noted that in order to successfully audition
for membership in high school performance
classes, skills must be developed in previous
years. Ideally, these developmental skills
are acquired in the elementary grades.
The study of music produces the development
of academic achievement skills. A 1981 survey
revealed that 40% of the Westinghouse Science
Talent Search winners were accomplished musicians
(California State Department of Education,
1986).
Dr. Frank R. Wilson, assistant clinical
professor of neurology at the University
of California School of Medicine, San Francisco,
reports that learning to play a musical instrument
helps students to develop faster physically,
mentally, emotionally, and socially. He states
that research shows instrument practice to
enhance coordination, concentration, memory,
improvement of eyesight, and hearing acuity
is possible. He concludes that learning to
play an instrument progressively refines
the development of the brain and the entire
neuromuscular system (Mueller, 1984). He
has organized the International Conferences
of Biology of Music Making, which bring together
professionals in music, the biologic and
health sciences for a sharing of current
thought and findings in science and music.
The topic of the 1987 conference was "Music
and Child Development." Music advocates
are encourage by the work of the conferences,
which support continuing research into the
connection between music education and brain
development.
Dr. Georgi Lozonov, founder of accelerated
learning at the Institute of Suggestology,
has found that music in a special program
of instruction produces accelerated learning.
In Bulgaria, his program allows students
to complete two years of curricula in four
months. First graders learn to read and write
within a few weeks and third graders study
intermediate level algebra. His work is being
duplicated presently in the United States
(Delehanty, 1983). At California's Paradise
Elementary school, the School Experiment
in Accelerated Learning Program of 1981-82
and 1982-83 resulted in an improvement in
achievement for students in reading and math,
as well as in writing and composition (Paradise
Unified School District, 1984).
There is a relationship between high self-perception,
high cognitive competence scores, general
self-esteem, and interest in school music.
In a study by the Norwegian Research Council
for Science and the Humanities, a connection
was found between students having musical
competence and high motivation to achieve
success in school. Students with interest
and competence in school music were found
to have positive correlation with cognitive
competence scores (Lillemyr, 1983).
Studies have shown that achievement in school
music builds student self-image which is
a motivation for academic learning among
urban Black middle school students (Marshall,
1978). Music lessons can lead to interest
in academics. Under-achieving, disadvantaged
youth were given music lessons and developed
improvement in their academic attitude and
aspirations; they were motivated to learn
academic subjects (Olanoff & Kirschner,
1969). An ESAE Title I program to improve
academic achievement found that students
who had participated in keyboard lessons
scored higher on mathematics and history
than students who had not, although their
IQ scores were not higher than that of the
other students (ESEA, Title I Evaluation
Report, 1969).
Music education improves student listening
skills. This is reported in many studies,
and specifically in a study of the Passaic,
New Jersey Public Schools Summer Program
for grades 2-6 students in which music was
used in the teaching of English to Spanish
speakers and reading in English to English
speaking children. The program included vocal
and instrumental instruction. All students
achieved (Kohanski, 1975).
Music games can teach fundamental concepts.
Dr. Lassar Golkin found that some children
who are unable to learn concepts in a school
setting are able to easily learn the same
concepts through street play games. He developed
the Interdependent Learning Model (ILM) which
brings music games into schools for the purpose
of teaching academic skills and content (Hillery,
1979).
Relaxation through music is seen to be a
factor in achievement for children. The American
Psychological Association carried out a meta-analyses
research project of relaxation in which the
conclusions of 20 studies revealed the positive
effect on cognitive academic variables among
elementary school children through progressive
relaxation with music (Moon, Render & Pendley,
1985).
Music education allows handicapped students
to achieve significantly. A three year Arts
in Education project in five elementary schools
in the Clover Park School District, Tacoma,
Washington demonstrated that when basic academic
skills were learned through music, a consistent
gain of achievement score points was made.
Music was found to be highly useful in teaching
perceptual skills, and brought a greater
interest in language development (Appel & Goldberg,
1979). Achievement in music performance allows
mentally handicapped students to achieve
in other areas was well. Music education,
performance, and therapy used to treat the
handicapped helps them to develop self-confidence.
This confidence leads to other achievements
(Reingold, 1987).
Singing plays a large part in the curriculum
of primary grade students because singing
a lesson helps young students to learn. In
a study of Dolch Sight Words, instruction
for kindergarten children, the teacher sung
the words to Group A students, but not to
Group B. With the exception of the singing,
the lessons were exactly alike. Group A learned
more words than Group B (Blackburn, 1986).
Music and Pre-learning
Music is found to have a positive effect
in pre-learning activities. Premature babies
who listen to music have enhanced cognitive
ability which may be lasting. Recordings
of classical music were included in a program
of special care for premature babies in a
study by the University of Florida College
of Medicine. The study concluded that the
babies receiving the special care program
had significantly higher mental and physical
development than infants which had not received
the care (Music for Tiny Infants, 1987).
In 1981-82, the California Arts Council contracted
with the Educational Testing Service to run
comprehensive tests on the impact of arts
on pre-learning skills. For each of the five
years since 1976, basic skills have been
shown to increase when the arts are added
to the curriculum (Municucci, 1981).
Music in Reading Instruction
In addition to creating opportunities for
achievement as noted above, music education
serves as a tool in leading students to achieve
in specific academic subjects. Reading curriculum
which includes music can bring an increase
in student scores of reading achievement
tests. A Title I reading program at Public
School No. 1 in Brooklyn, New York included
music and the arts in the curriculum. The
results were a dramatic rise in student reading
achievement test scores (New York City Board
of Education, 1980).
Low achieving readers learn to read when
music and related arts are in the reading
curriculum. In a study involving over 13,000
children in 43 schools, the ESEA Title I
Evaluation Report for the Wichita Program
for Educationally Deprived Children found
gains were made in the corrective reading
program when music and related arts were
used in the reading curriculum (ESEA, 1969).
In the Learning to Read Through the Arts
program (LTRTA), a Title I Program for elementary
students in New York for 677 regular students
and 907 special education students, children
who received music and other arts curricula
in instruction to emphasize listening, speaking,
reading, and writing skills in the teaching
of reading surpassed program objectives of
achievement. All grades surpassed the program
objective of five normal curve equivalents
on the California Achievement Test scores.
Bi-lingual and special education students
also surpassed program goals as measured
by the Wisconsin Design Skill Development
test. Teachers noted that participation in
the program led to improved student behaviors,
greater motivation to read, and awakening
of student interest and emotional growth
in some sixth graders (Walker, 1982).
The PALS Project (Art as a Learning Strategy)
followed the success of LTRTA. The project
involved a well planned curriculum which
included music and a longitudinal study with
carefully drawn conclusions. Students in
this program out-achieved those not in the
program, when all were tested in reading
proficiency (Milley et al., 1983).
An evaluation of the achievement in reading
and math of elementary school students revealed
that in reading for meaning, fifth grade
instrumental music students achieved at a
higher level than their non-music student
peers (Friedman, 1959). Educators agree that
music education is beneficial to reading
achievement. Music has been shown to be such
an effective component of reading instruction
that teachers of reading are now being urged
to become competent instructors of music
in their reading classes (Tucker, 1981).
Music is found to be also beneficial in the
teaching of social studies and history, as
noted earlier. Evidence is now found that
music instruction can lead to achievement
in math as well.
Music and Math
Achievement
Art Harrell, director of music for public
schools in Wichita, Kansas reported on a
project in which 13,000 children in 42 schools
entered an ESEA Title I program of additional
art, music P.E., and industrial arts classes
with enrichment and counseling. He found
that children who have received school keyboard
music lessons score higher in mathematics
than students not in the program, although
their IQ scores are no higher than the other
students' scores.
The California Arts Council's Alternatives
in Education program (AIE) has been in selected
schools since 1976. Arts have been found
to make a cognitive impact. When music periods
have been increased, children have made an
average gain of one and one half times the
normal rate in math (.75 years in 6 months)
(Maltester, 1986).
IQ scores and achievement test scores are
often used to measure student potential and
competency. A study of an arts enriched language
arts program found a positive effect on the
attitude and IQ of second grade students
(Mathison, 1977). A study of children in
the Albuquerque, New Mexico public schools
demonstrated that in all areas of comparison
of scores on the California Test of Basic
Skills, fifth graders who were enrolled in
instrumental music classes scored higher
than their peers who were not enrolled. The
longer pupils were enrolled, the better they
achieved. In 1979, students with two or more
years in band scored 10% higher in language
than the others. Those students in music
programs for two or more years scored consistently
higher than those who participated only one
year (Robitaille & O'Neal, 1981).
The Need for More Research
Interest in developing more research in
the area of the cognitive connection between
music education and achievement grows as
the need to demonstrate music education's
value becomes increasing necessary. The data,
though sparse, provides evidence that music
education has a positive effect on cognition
and achievement, including the development
of academic learning skills in K-8 students.
Summary
Research provides evidence that music curriculum
aids students in developing the skills necessary
for academic achievement. Studies into arts
education; music curriculum; and pre-learning
activities in music, reading and math curriculum
give specific evidence of the positive connection
between music education and academic achievement.
The present evidence, however, needs to be
joined by future research which may allow
educators to draw definitive conclusions.
