Parent FAQ / Information
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At the elementary instrumental parent informational meeting Monday night, I presented three short studies advocating music education for every child and how the more children are educated in music, the more successful they become at whatever track they take in their life. Below, I've pasted a few more quick hitter studies for your enjoyment. Yes - band is good.
- of ten adults and teenagers who play instruments agree that music making brings the family closer together. .Music Making and Our Schools, American Music Conference, 2000
- In a 1999 Columbia University study, students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident, and better able to express their ideas. These benefits exist across socioeconomic levels. .The Arts Education Partnership, 1999
- Music students demonstrate less test anxiety and performance anxiety than students who do not study music. .College-Age Musicians Emotionally Healthier than Non-Musician Counterparts, Houston Chronicle, 1998
- Martin Gardiner of Brown University tracked the criminal records of Rhode Island residents from birth through age 30, and he concluded the more a resident was involved in music, the lower the person's arrest record. .Music Linked to Reduced Criminality, MuSICA Research Notes, Winter 2000
- The nation's top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st Center. .The Changing Workplace is Changing Our View of education, Business Week, October 1996
- Ninth grade students in a Chicago arts program achieved reading scores that were a full grade level higher than students not in the program. All other variables, including race, gender, and socioeconomic status, were equal in this study. .CAPE Study, President's Council on the Arts and Humanities, 2000
- The scores of elementary instrumental music students on standardized math tests increased with each year they participated in the instrumental program. .Music training helps underachievers, nature, may 26, 1996
- A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reports that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills necessary for learning math and science. .Frances Rauscher and Gordon Shaw, Neurological Research, University of California at Irvine, February, 1997
- When researchers analyzed the NEL: 88 database of the U.S. Department of Education, which tracked 25,000 students over a ten-year period, they discovered that students who were involved in music scored higher on standardized tests than students not taking music courses. This finding was consistent for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. .James Catterall, UCLA, 1997
- 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 Should Know and Be Able to Do, The College Board
- On 1999 SAT, music students continued to outperform their non-arts peers, scoring 61 points higher on the verbal portion and 42 points higher on the math portion of the exam. .Steven Demorest and Steven Morrison, Does Music Make You Smarter, Music Educators Journal, September, 2000
- The U.S. department of education recommends that middle/junior high school students take courses in the arts, stating "Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students' understanding and appreciation of the world around them. It is well known and widely recognized that the arts contribute significantly to children's intellectual development." .Getting ready for College dearly: A Handbook for Parents of Students in the Middle and Junior High School Years, U.S. Department of Education, 1997
- A majority of the engineers and technical designers in Silicon Valley are also practicing musicians. .The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of Public Schools, Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, 1997
- Students who participate in school band or orchestra have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs among any group in our society. .H. Con. Res. 266, United States Senate, June 13, 2000
- The arts are recognized as a core subject in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act approved by both houses of Congress in 1994.
National education Goals Panel - When researchers analyzed the NEL: 88 database of the U.S. Department of Education, which tracked 25,000 students over a ten-year period, they discovered that students who were involved in music scored higher on standardized tests than students not taking music courses. This finding was consistent for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.
James Catterall, UCLA, 1997 - A 1997 study of elementary students in an arts-based program concluded that students' math test scores rose as their time in arts education classes increased.
Arts Exposure and Class Performance, Phi Delta Kappan, October 1998 - The scores of elementary instrumental music students on standardized math tests increased with each year they participated in the instrumental program.
Music training helps underachievers, nature, may 26, 1996 - Ninth grade students in a Chicago arts program achieved reading scores that were a full grade level higher than students not in the program. All other variables, including race, gender, and socioeconomic status, were equal in this study.
CAPE Study, President's Council on the Arts and Humanities, 2000 - College admissions officers continue to cite participation in music as an important factor in making admissions decisions. They claim that music participation demonstrates time management, creativity, expression, and open-mindedness.
Hartman, Arts May Improve Students' Grades, The Associated Press, October, 1999
KHS DISTRICT (MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL) BAND LONG AND SHORT TERM GOALS
I. To have the funds and money available for the following 6 items...
1. Purchase new marching band uniforms and formal attire uniforms every 10 years.
2. Upgrade, replace, and purchase additional large school owned instruments as needed. Concert: Tubas, baritones, double french horns, bassoons, bass clarinets, contra alto clarinet, tenor saxophones, baritone saxophones, drum sets, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, chimes, gong, snare drums, various cymbals, mallets, Marching: Snare, tenor, bass drums, cymbals, baritones, mellophones, sousaphones should be upgraded or replaced every 7 years.
3. Assist students who are unable to afford or fundraise for band trips.
4. Assist students who are unable to afford private lessons.
5. Assist students who are unable to afford owning their instrument.
6. Activity for each night of summer band rehearsals (Kirkwood pool, Tropical Moose, pizza, mixer, etc.)
II. Take trips that are musically rewarding and musically educational (HS only).
III. Produce quality recordings and be accepted to perform at MMEA State Music Convention.
IV. Be accepted to perform at Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic (HS).
V. 25% audition and 10% of band students accepted into the SLSMEA All-Suburban Band.
VI. 10 band students accepted into the Missouri All-State Band/Orchestra/Jazz Band (HS).
VII. Continue to be recognized on the national level with the highest judges award or rating given (HS).
VIII. 100% band student participation in SLSMEA solo/ensemble festival.
IX. 30% of band students perform at MSHSAA State solo/ensemble festival (HS).
X. 75% of band students study with a private instructor.
XI. Each band student attends a performance given by professional musicians at least two times during school year. (St. Louis Wind Symphony, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, professional jazz artists, etc.)
XII. Each band student participates actively in at least one “extracurricular” band ensemble. Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra, Orchestra Winds/Percussion, Woodwind Chamber Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, community band, church ensemble, etc.
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