Facts Concerning Music Education

On recent SAT tests, the national average scores were 427 on the verbal and 476 on math. At the same time, music students averaged 465 on verbal and 497 on math –38 and 21 points higher, respectively.

A recent Rockefeller Foundation Study discovered that music majors have the highest rate of admittance to medical schools, followed by biochemistry and the humanities.

The American Music Conference reports that music-makers are more likely to go on to college and other higher education than non-music makers…52% more likely!

The AMC also reports that music makers watch less TV and are more optimistic about their futures than non-music makers.

A comprehensive series of skill tests were run on 5,154 fifth-graders in all 75 of the Albuquerque, NM elementary schools. In EVERY SINGLE TEST AREA, kids who were learning to play a musical instrument received higher marks than their classmates. And, the longer the school children had been in the instrumental programs, the higher they scored.

From USA TODAY, January 19, 1987: “Musical training can be a big help in getting to the top of business and politics, according to most congressmen and Chief Executive Officers of Fortune 500 companies. Ninety percent (90%!) of more than 1,000 CEO’s and congressmen interviewed by the McDonald’s fast food chain said playing a musical instrument as a child helped them develop “character and leadership skills.”

“At Mission Viejo H.S. in California, the overall grade point average for non-music students =2.91. The overall grade point average of music students=3.59. Five percent of non-music students had a 4.0 while 16% of music students had a 4.0.” Horne, C. (1983 February-March) “If You Don’t Do It, Nobody Else Will.” CMEA News, pp. 11-13, 26.

New York Schools show that 90% of their students who participate in music go to college.” Kaufman, B. (1976 November-December) “Where Every Child is Special.” Today’s Education, pp. 22-25.

A study at Florida State University (1990) showed 71% of administrators surveyed stated that Arts courses had a positive influence on student’s decisions to stay in school and that over 50% of the students surveyed stated that the participation in Arts courses positively influenced their decision to remain in school.