Facts About Music
- Students involved in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs when compared against students in other school activities.
- Students involved with music score an average of 100 points higher on SAT tests than students who are not. The longer a student has been involved with music instruction, the greater the difference.
- Students who study music have higher grades, score better on standardized tests and have better attendance records.
In 1996, The National Affiliation of Arts Educators (of Australia) and the Australian Council for Educational Research stated, “The arts contribute naturally and significantly to all of the key competencies.” They defined Key Competencies as “skills that are learned not just in one class, but through the overall educational experience. They are also skills that the business community believes school graduates must possess.”
Applications of music education to the Australian Key Competencies:
COLLECTING, ANALYZING, AND ORGANIZING INFORMATION
Interpreting and creating artworks (compositions), exercising aesthetic judgment, managing sensory and emotional information
COMMUNICATING IDEAS AND INFORMATION
Making artworks (composing), communicating ideas and information non-propositionally (without speaking or writing), interpreting artworks through talking and writing
PLANNING AND ORGANIZING ACTIVITIES
Rehearsing and presenting a performance or concert
WORKING WITH OTHERS AND IN TEAMS
Experiencing ensemble discipline for corps, orchestra, etc. Practicing group skills in rehearsal, production, and exhibition, negotiating in multi-arts contexts
USING MATHEMATICS
Learning about basic musical structure, rhythm, balance, and acoustic science
SOLVING PROBLEMS
Improvising, researching, creating artwork (composing), interpreting, preparing presentations
USING TECHNOLOGY
Using samplers and synthesizers, using multi-media in presentations, concerts, and performances, using sound and lighting principles and technology