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Want better test scores? Take band
By Leslie Scheuler
04/10/2006
School districts in the St. Louis region span the spectrum when it comes to
arts education. In the area of music, for example, some schools offer
students the chance to participate in choir, band, orchestra and other
musical instruction. Other schools don't even have a part-time music teacher.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act lists the arts as a "core academic
subject," yet some districts seem to believe they can only make
significant progress in improving standardized test scores by cutting or
eliminating school arts programs.
They're wrong.
Recent educational research offers strong evidence that quality arts
education programs are not just a "feel-good" part of the
curriculum. The reality is, there's a strong relationship between
participation in arts education and improved scores on such standardized
tests as the SAT; indeed, the more arts instruction, the stronger the
connection to higher test scores. You can see the effects on student
achievement in many areas:
Mathematics
Students who receive musical instruction show increased aptitude in
mathematics and improvement in spatial reasoning skills. Several different
studies indicate that high school students who took music classes and
participated in ensembles (band, for example) scored higher on standardized
mathematics tests. One study found that middle school students who
participated in instrumental ensembles were twice as likely to perform at the
highest levels in math as students who took no music classes.
Researchers theorize that musical education supports mathematical skills
because it includes careful training in rhythm, which emphasizes proportion,
patterns and ratios.
Reading and Language Arts
Studies at Columbia University indicate that arts instruction supports
student skills in verbal and written expression, including creativity and
elaboration. Other research has found that drama and music classes are
particularly effective in improving reading comprehension and writing
abilities.
Cognitive Skills
Arts instruction also aids the development of reasoning ability and
problem-solving. Music training for young children improves memory. High
school students who studied dance scored higher than non-dancers in
originality and abstract thought. Arts activities -- particularly those that
involve performance -- promote self-confidence, along with the skills
required for conflict resolution, collaboration and empathy.
Motivation to Learn
Participation in arts education lowers the risk of students dropping out of
high school and stimulates the motivation of students in special education
classes. And arts education programs increase collaboration among teachers,
parents and the community.
In some studies, arts education had even greater positive impact on children
from disadvantaged backgrounds than on other kids. When it comes to music
instruction, the advantages seem to apply across the board: from preschoolers
to high school students regardless of academic aptitude, racial/ethnic
background or socioeconomic status.
To have these positive effects, however, quality arts education programs need
to be available to students consistently as a seamless curriculum element
with academic content. Once-a-year performances or short-term after-school
classes won't do it.
There's another societal benefit: A recent study by the RAND Corporation
concludes that the most promising way to develop future audiences for the
arts is to provide well-designed arts programs in our nation's schools; the
vast majority of adults who are involved in the arts now were initially
exposed to them as children.
To protect arts education from elimination from school curricula in our
region, students, parents, educators, arts organizations and local leaders
have to work for its survival.
Parent-teacher organizations, school boards, school and district
administrations and public and private funders at the local, state and
national levels need to understand that arts instruction isn't a luxury. To
the contrary, it is acknowledged as a core academic area that boosts student
performance throughout the school curriculum.
We cannot allow the arts to be "left behind."
Leslie Scheuler of St. Louis evaluates arts education programs across the
country for Philliber Research Associates, a national consulting firm. She
also is the founder and president of Música para los Niños ("Music for
the Children"), a volunteer organization that supports children in music
schools in Honduras, Central America
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