Why Music Is Important to Your Child's Education
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- Neurologist Frank Wilson, states: "The child who is playing a musical instrument or singing on a regular basis is exercising the entire brain and stimulating general intelligence more than his/her counterpart who does not play or sing. Thus, Wilson says, "...when a musician plays he/she uses approximately 90 percent of the brain."
- According to research at the University of Southern California, "Arts instruction has a significant positive effect on basic language development and reading readiness."
- Mike Greenberg of the San Antonio Express-News states, "Creativity is the basis of wealth. Always has been, always will be. And music enhances creativity."
- In Prevention magazine, an article about Martin Gardiner's study states that test results indicated "that in first- and second-graders who took special arts classes, up to 25% more of them were at grade-level or above on math-aptitude tests compared with their peers--the ones yawning through more traditional music appreciation classes. The special classes focused on skill development using Kodaly and visual-arts training." The article further states, "It's the sequential learning and skill development, not just the singing, that appears to make the difference."
- Tony Mickela of the California Music Educators Association says, "There is much support in research for the argument that music assists in the non-musical development of the individual. Kneitner (1983) recognizes that the study of music improves the learning of language, mathematics and reading and that even Plato felt that the study of music has an impact on one's health, can affect morality, and have an influence on the development of good citizenship."