Photo Credit: National Association for Music Education
Thanks to the National Association for Music Education’s celebration of March is National Music in Our Schools Month, we’ve been reminded of these three facts, proving the indispensable child development benefits of music:
- Academic. Among SAT takers, the College Board found that students with 4+ years of music education scored 23 points above average in math, and 31 points above average in writing. See Table 18 here.
- Literacy. Combined research from 30 studies show that music education, integrated with reading, performance, movement, and traditional academic disciplines, excelerates early literacy.
- Social. From Dr. Kyle Pruett, clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and practicing musician: “The development of language over time tends to enhance parts of the brain that help process music. Language competence is at the root of social competence. Musical experience strengthens the capacity to be verbally competent.”
A big thank you to all of our educators who continue to make the world a better place for children. And to the children who make the world a better place for us adults! Follow @NAfME and #MIOSM for National Music in Our Schools Month updates.