CARLSBAD, CA—According to a new nationwide survey conducted by the Gallup organization, 95 percent of Americans believe that music is a key component in a child’s well-rounded education. In fact, more than three quarters of those surveyed feel schools should mandate music education.

The survey, "American Attitudes Toward Music," is conducted for NAMM, the International Music Products Association, every three years to gauge public attitudes toward musical participation in the United States.

In a question asked for the first time this year, 80 percent of respondents agreed that making music makes participants smarter. This finding comes on the heels of a decade of scientific research linking active participation in music with improved mental capacity in young children, students and the elderly. The impact of such news is also seen in the survey’s finding that 78 percent of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects, and that 88 percent believe participation in music helps teach children discipline. Ninety-six percent believe participation in a school band is a good way for children to develop teamwork skills, and 71 percent believe that teenagers who play an instrument are less likely to have disciplinary problems.This year, a record 54 percent of households, the highest figure since this study began in 1978, reported having at least one musical instrument player.

Despite American’s clear support for music education and participation, budget cuts and shifting priorities have placed those programs in more danger than ever. Already, up to 28 million American students do not receive an adequate music education, and cuts in education funding are either pending or have been enacted in more than half the states nationwide.

Ironically, these cuts come at a time when the importance of music education is better understood than ever before. The College Entrance Examination Board found, for example, that students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math than students with no arts participation. U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show "significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12." And a study published in Neurological Research in 1999 of 237 second grade children who used piano keyboard training and newly designed math software scored 27 percent higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children that used only the math software.

To help people preserve music in their own communities, NAMM and MENC: The National Association for Music Education have created an online presence,www.SupportMusic.com, that offers tips, facts and other useful resources. Another website that of NAMM’s affiliate, The American Music Conference contains in-depth information on the benefits of music making.

The survey was conducted by The Gallup Organization on behalf of NAMM. A random sample of consumers 12 years of age or older in U.S. households was used to complete 1,005 telephone interviews between February 4 and March 8, 2003. A comprehensive report of the survey’s findings is available upon request.