An Overview of the Current Research in Music Education:
An Annotated Reference List
by Jackie Quay, President of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education

1. Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, editors, The Arts and Academic Improvement: What the Evidence Shows, Journal of Aesthetic Education, Volume 34, nos. 3-4 ( Fall/Winter 2000 ). Meta-analysis of over 188 research studies conducted between 1950-1999 that claimed that studying the arts lead to academic achievement ( reliable, causal linkage ). See http://pzweb.harvard.edu/Research/REAP.htm
• A medium-sized causal link between listening to music and temporary improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning.
• A large casual link between listening to music and spatial-temporal reasoning; affects both general and at-risk populations.

2. James A. Catterall ( UCLA ), "Charles Fowler address&emdash;The Arts and Human Development: The Status of Research," ( December 2000 ). The strongest connections between the arts and academic learning seem to be between music training and spatial reasoning skills.
3. Arts Education Partnership&emdash;Task force on Children's learning and The Arts: Birth to Age Eight, Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections ( Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership, 1998 ). See http://www.aep-arts.org
• The stimuli provided by the arts ( visual art, music, dance, and drama ) function as "languages" for the young child. Active use of these forms of language lay the groundwork for children's use of verbal language and their ability to read and write.
4. Brain Research and Learning in the Arts - Aleman, Andre, et. al., "Music Training and Mental Imagery Ability." Neuropsychologia 38. ( 2000 ): 1664-1668. See http://www.musica.uci.edu
• The study suggests that learning to play an instrument may produce greater capability to mentally imagine and process sounds in general, maybe even speech.
Black, Susan. "The Musical Mind." American School Board Journal 184, No. l, January, 1997: 20-22.
• Summary of research that supports how music helps students organize their thinking and develop skills in math, language, and spatial reasoning.
Chan, A.S. Ho, Y.C. Cheung, M.C. "Music Training Improves Verbal Memory." Nature 396.1998: 128.
• Student who received musical training before age 12 have significantly stronger verbal memories than students without musical education.
Temple, C. ''Spatial-Temporal Versus Language-Analytical Reasoning: The Role of Music Training." Arts Education Policy Review 99, No.6 ( July/August 1998 ): 11-14.
• Article concludes that music instruction can enhance the "hardware'' of the brain associated with spatial-temporal reasoning.
Graziano, A., Peterson M., Shaw, G. "Enhanced Learning of Proportional Math through Music Training and Spatial-Temporal Training." Neurological Research. 1999: 139-152. See http://www.mindinst.org
• Children given keyboard training scored significantly higher than control group on measures of proportional math and fractions.
Weinberger, N. "Music, Brain, and Education." Educational Leadership: {November, 1998 ). See http://www.amc-music.com/
• An article that summarizes research studies indication that musical activities are biological, rather than solely based on cultural and/or social behavior.
Other research finding music benefits children:

• Preschoolers who studied piano performed 34 % better in spatial and temporal reasoning ability that preschoolers who spent the same amount of time learning to usc the computer. ( Raucher and Shaw in Nature, 1997 ).

• Preschoolers who took singing and keyboard lessons scored 80% higher on object-assembly tests than students at the same preschool who did not have the music lessons. ( Raucher and Shaw in Symphony, 1996 ).

• Students at two Rhode Island elementary schools given a sequential skill-building music program showed a marked improvement in math schools. ( Gardner, et. al., in Nature, 1996 ).

• Students identified as at risk of academic failure who participated in an arts program that included music showed significant increases in overall self-concept. ( Barry, N.H., Auburn University, 1992 ).

• A study of medical school applicants found that 66% of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group including biochemistry majors ( 44% ).
( Thomas in Phi Delta Kappan, 1996 ).

• Students who study music scored higher on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT over students who did not study music. ( Symphony, 1996 ).

 

Selected websites to visit for further research:

MENC: National Association of Music Educators : http://www.menc.org

UCLA: http://www.uclanews.ucla.edu/page.asp?News=arts&Start=1&Count=8

Visions of Research in Music Education: http://musicweb.rutgers.edu/vrme

Music Educators Journal: http://www.menc.org

CAIRSS: http://www.lib.utsa.edu

Journal of Music Therapy http://www.musictherapy.org or
tracking manuscripts, titles & abstracts through this service http://www.allenpress.com

National Endowment for the Arts: http://www.arts.endow.gov

US Department of Education, Office of Education Research and Improvements ( OERI ): http://www.ed.gov

The Kennedy Center: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

 

( Information on this page is used with permission as presented on page 27 of the November , 2001 issue, Vol. 69 #2, of TRIAD published by OMEA ( Ohio Music Educators Association ), Dr. Ed Duling , Editor.)

** Please note that all links were current at the time of this article. But due to the ever changing structure of the Internet, they may change and give you an Error # 404 message or a message that says "Can not be found on this server." In that case, do a web search with words in the line title to find a more current address link.

 

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