WHY BAND

• The cognitive structures developed through music instruction “exposed and illuminated more general organizing structures relevant for multiple disciplines.”
  Portowitz,P., Lichtenstein, O., Egorova, L., & Brand, E. (2009). Underlying mechanisms linking music education and cognitive modifiability. Research Studies in Music Education, 31, 107–29.

• The combined results of 12 experimental studies indicate a positive relationship between voluntary music study and math achievement.
  Vaughn, K. (2000). Music and mathematics: Modest support for the oft-claimed relationship. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34(3/4), 149-66.

• Playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brainstem’s sensitivity to speech sounds. This relates to encoding skills involved with both music and language.
  Patrick C M Wong, Erika Skoe, Nicole M Russo, Tasha Dees, & Nina Kraus. (2007). Musical experience shapes human brainstem encoding of linguistic pitch patterns. Nature Neuroscience, 10(4), 420-422.

• On the 2012 SAT, students who participated in music scored an average of 31 points above average in reading, 23 points above average in math, and 31 points above average in writing.

College Board SAT, 2012 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report.

• Schools that have music programs have significantly higher graduation rates than do those without music programs (90.2 percent as compared to 72.9 percent). In addition, those that rate their programs as “excellent or very good” have an even higher graduation rate (90.9 percent).
  Harris Interactive Inc. (2006). Understanding the Linkages Between Music Education and Educational Outcomes.

• Students who participate in music groups score significantly higher than their peers on measures of social capital including talking more with parents and teachers.
  Broh, B. A. (2002). Linking extracurricular programming to academic achievement: Who benefits and why? Sociology of Education, 75(1), 69-95.