Sampling of Music Research Facts

"I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all the arts are the keys to learning." --Plato

• The study of music is a vital part of a well-rounded education. Beyond the value of music in itself, increasing evidence clarifies the role of music in the intellectual and social development of students.
  

• Researchers at the University of Munster in Germany have discovered that music lessons in childhood actually enlarge the brain. An area used to analyze the pitch of a musical note is enlarged 25% in musicians compared to people who have never played an instrument. Their findings suggest the area is enlarged through practice and experience. The earlier the musicians were when they started musical training, the bigger this area of the brain appears to be.
  

- from Nature, April 23, 1998; Pantev et al.

• Rhode Island studies have indicated that sequential, skill-building instruction in art and music integrated with the rest of the curriculum can greatly improve children's performance in reading and math.
  

- from "Learning Improved by Arts Training," Nature, May 23, 1996; Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey, and Knowles.

• A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasongin skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science. The children who had received the musical training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the students who had received private computer lessons or no training.
  

- from Neurological Research, February 28, 1997; Frances Rauscher, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and Gordon Shaw, Ph.D., University of California at Irvine.