Support Music Education
We must be: Innovative! Motivated! Dedicated!
Music Education is essential on a number of levels. Not only does it dramatically increase learning capacity, but it gives the students significant benefits that last a lifetime. The Sound Of Perfection story is the perfect example. Other facts below underscore it even further. Additionally, the following Gallup Survey proves Americans deeply believe in the importance of music education. As a country, we are paying a steep price when we allow music education to suffer. There are any number of ideas we can come together on, encouraging solutions to stem the tide of class closures. We must be: Innovative. Motivated. Dedicated. We all must be willing to do our part to make music education a right and not a privilege. Get involved!
According to a Gallup Survey, Americans hold music and music-making in high regard.
Percentage of Americans who believe:
- Music is a part of a well-rounded education 95%
- Music is an activity that a child can enjoy all his/her life 98%
- Learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects 92%
- Music brings the family together 90%
- School band is a good way for young people to develop teamwork skills 97%
- Schools should offer music as a part of the regular curriculum 93%
- Music gives children a sense of accomplishment 95%
- Music helps teach children discipline 92%
- Music helps instill an appreciation of arts and culture 96%
ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL BENEFITS FROM MUSIC EDUCATION
The College Entrance Examination Board found that students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math than students with no arts participation. -College-Bound Seniors National Report. “Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ.” The College Entrance Examination Board.
Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school. -Lewis Thomas, Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa.
Students who were exposed to music-based lessons scored a full 100% higher on fractions tests than those who learned in the conventional manner. -Neurological Research.
A study of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest reading scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math. -The Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa.
Middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music performances scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests. -University of Sarasota Study, Jeffrey Lynn Kluball; East Texas State University Study, Daryl Erick Trent
Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8-12 increased their math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. But just as important, reading, history, geography and even social skills soared by 40%. -Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey and Knowles, Nature.
A Columbia University study revealed that 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 all socioeconomic levels. -The Arts Education Partnership.
SCHOOL BAND STATISTICS
- Since 1940, over 110 million Americans have participated in school bands.
- 2.2 million middle & high school students are currently enrolled as band members in the U.S.
- 300,000 college students are also enrolled.
- There are approximately 27,000 school marching bands nationally.
- Internationally, there are approximately 10,000 school marching bands in 20 countries.
- 1 million people watch The Rose Bowl Parade in person with a combined worldwide audience of over 300 million in 90 countries.
“I like the floats but I love the marching bands.” -George Lucas – Grand Marshal – Rose Bowl Parade
“Marching Bands are an essential part of the fabric of America.” -Ronald Reagan
“Who doesn’t love a marching band? Many of my best times in high school were in the band.” -Bill Clinton
“Yeah, I played a little trumpet in high school and was in the marching band.” -Jon Bon Jovi
“I was in my high school’s marching band. It was a lot of hard work but fun. I will always be a fan of marching bands.” -Steven Spielberg
NOTABLE MARCHING BAND ALUMNI:
TRUMPET – Richard Gere, John Glenn, Steven Tyler, Drew Carey, James Woods.
FLUTE – Halle Berry, Celine Dion, George Eastman, Gwen Stefani, Calista Flockhart.
SAXOPHONE – Bill Clinton, Vince Carter, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Garner, Tom Selleck.
CLARINET – Steven Spielberg, Gloria Estefan, Julia Roberts, Woody Allen.
FRENCH HORN – Ewan McGregor, Vanessa Williams, Samuel L. Jackson.
TROMBONE – Tony Stewart, Nelly Furtado, Bill Engvall, Jonathan Frakes.
TUBA – Andy Griffith, Aretha Franklin, Dan Aykroyd, Malik Rose, Harry Smith.
PERCUSSION – Johnny Carson, Tommy Lee, Dana Carvey, Trent Reznor, Mike Piazza.
Here Are Some Of Our Favorite Quotes On Music – Get Inspired!
MUSIC AFTER ALL IS THE SOUNDTRACK TO OUR LIVES. Dick Clark.
MUSIC IS A WORLD WITHIN ITSELF, WITH A LANGUAGE WE ALL UNDERSTAND. Stevie Wonder
WITHOUT MUSIC, LIFE IS A JOURNEY THROUGH A DESERT. Pat Conroy
MUSIC PRODUCES A KIND OF PLEASURE WHICH HUMAN NATURE CANNOT DO WITHOUT. Confucius
MUSIC IS A HIGHER REVELATION THAN ALL WISDOM AND PHILOSOPHY. Beethoven
LIFE SEEMS TO GO ON WITHOUT EFFORT WHEN I AM FILLED WITH MUSIC. George Eliot
WHERE WORDS FAIL, MUSIC SPEAKS. Hans Christian Anderson
WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SEE THE POSSIBILITIES OF MUSIC, YOU DESIRE TO DO SOMETHING REALLY GOOD FOR PEOPLE. TO HELP HUMANITY TO FREE ITSELF FROM ITS HANGUPS. I WANT TO SPEAK TO THEIR SOULS. John Coltrane
I SEE OF LITTLE MORE IMPORTANCE TO THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY AND OUR CIVILIZATION THAN THE FULL RECOGNITION OF THE PLACE OF THE ARTIST. John F. Kennedy
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TOUCH THE RIGHT KEY AT THE RIGHT TIME AND THE INSTRUMENT PLAYS ITSELF. J.S. Bach
I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE PURPLE WITH GREEN BREATH AS LONG AS YOU CAN SWING. Miles Davis
WITHOUT MUSIC, LIFE WOULD BE A MISTAKE. Nietzsche
CHOPIN IS MY DAWG. Alicia Keys
MUSIC IS AN EXPLOSIVE EXPRESSION OF HUMANITY. Billy Joel
SCHOOL CURRICULA THAT IGNORES THE ARTS PRODUCES HIGHLY EDUCATED BARBARIANS. Edward Albee
WITHOUT MUSIC, WE COULD COMPLETELY DESTROY THE STRUCTURE OF THE SPACE TIME CONTINUOM. Dr. Emmett Brown
THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY OCCURRED TO ME BY INTUITION AND MUSIC WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THAT INTUITION. MY DISCOVERY WAS THE RESULT OF MUSICAL PERCEPTION. Albert Einstein
MUSIC CAN CHANGE THE WORLD BECAUSE IT CAN CHANGE PEOPLE. Bono
AN EDUCATION IN MUSIC IS MOST SOVEREIGN BECAUSE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, RHYTHM AND HARMONY FIND THEIR WAY TO THE INNERMOST SOUL AND TAKE STRONGEST HOLD UPON IT. Plato