Most educators would probably accept as valid the findings from this new study.
Most politicians and educational “experts” will completely ignore them.
A new study in the journal Social Science Quarterly reveals that music participation, defined as music lessons taken in or out of school and parents attending concerts with their children, has a positive effect on reading and mathematic achievement in early childhood and adolescence.
They also found that “socioeconomic status and ethnicity affect music participation”, which basically means that rich white and Asian parents are more likely to give their kids music lessons or take them to concerts.
Hardly surprising.
Ok, so we have studies (and more than just this one) showing a strong link between participation in the arts and student achievement in the so-called academic subjects.
However, even if the arts did absolutely nothing to improve test scores, they still need to be a fundamental part of every child’s education.
Especially if we really believe all those mission statements proclaiming our desire to provide a well-rounded education for our students.
It really does kill me that we don’t have the money for a rich music program at SLA.