1. The Benefits of Music Education By Rachel Buck http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music- education/

2. Music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children use in other areas Taps into multiple skill sets People use eyes and ears, as well as large and small muscles

3. Language Development! Children come into the world ready to decode sounds & words, and music education helps enhance those natural abilities! Studies show “musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways.”

4. Increased IQ! Study by E. Glenn Schellenberg in 2004 Tested 3 groups of 6 year olds 1 group- 9 months of piano & voice lessons 2 group- 9 months of drama lessons 3 group- no lessons Tested IQs before and after 1 st grade 1 group- three IQ pts. higher than others 2 group- no increase in IQ, social behavior benefits

5. The Brain Works Harder! “When you’re a musician andyou’re playing an instrument,you have to be using more ofyour brain” –Dr. Eric Rasmussen Children underwent 15 months ofweekly music music instructionand practice The students improved sounddiscrimination and fine motortasks

6. These skills come into play in solving multistep problems in Architecture, engineering, math, art, gaming, and working with computers Understanding music can help children visualize various elements that should go together, like they would do when solving a math problem.

7. Improved Test Scores! Students in elementary schools with superior music ed. programs scored 22% higher in English and 20% higher in math on standardized testing, compared to schools with low-quality music programs Memory recall is enhanced

8. “Schools that have rigorousprograms and high-quality musicand arts teachers probably havehigh-quality teachers in otherareas. If you have anenvironment where there are alot of people doing creative,smart, great things, joyful things,even people who aren’t doingthat have a tendency to go up anddo better.”

9. Being Musical! Teaching students music is not about making them smarter, it is about helping them become more musical, to appreciate all aspects of music, and to respect the process of learning an instrument or how to sing!