Advocacy

Music aids in memory development and retrieval as early as three months of age.
St. John's University and Iona College, 1997

Preschoolers who studied piano performed 34 per cent better in spatial and temporal reasoning ability than preschoolers who spent the same amount of time learning to use computers.
Rauscher, Shaw, as reported in "Neurological Research," February 1997

Preschoolers who took singing and keyboard lessons scored 80 per cent higher on object-assembly tests than students at the same preschool who did not have the music lessons.
Rauscher & Shaw, as reported in Symphony Sep.-Oct. 1996

30 minutes of daily music instruction for one year was credited for increased perceptual-motor skills and creative thinking tests on first grade students.
K.L. Wolff, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1979

Students who study music scored higher on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT than non-music students.
College Entrance Examination Board as reported in Symphony, Sep-Oct 1996

In a study of medical school applicants, 66 per cent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. Only 44 per cent of biochemistry majors were admitted.
Lewis Thomas, as reported in Phi Delta Kappan, February 1994

The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college.
"Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do," 1983, The College Board, New York

A study of 811 high school students indicated that the proportion of minority students with a music teacher role-model was significantly larger than for any other discipline. 36% of these students identified music teachers as their role models, as opposed to 28% English teachers, 11% elementary teachers, 7% physical education/sports teachers, 1% principals.
D.L. Hamann and L.M. Walker, "Music teachers as role models for African-American students," Journal of Research in Music Education, 41, 1993

The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling--training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attentional skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.
Ratey John J., MD. "A User's Guide to the Brain." New York: Pantheon Books, 2001.

Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity.
Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting System

Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective.
Former president Bill Clinton