Resource Material
1990: P.H. Wood. “The comparative academic abilities of students in education and in other areas of a multi-focus university.” Unpublished paper.
Music and music education majors at a medium-sized university scored higher on the Nelson Denny Reading Test than students in any other major.
1988: Ciepluch, G.M. “Sight-reading achievement in instrumental music performance, learning gifts, and academic achievement: A correlational study.” Unpublished dissertation, University of Wisconsin.
Found significant relationship between scores on Watkins-Farnum Performance Scale and Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills.
1993: Horne, C. “If you don’t do it, nobody else will.” CMEA [California] News, February-March 1983.
High school music students hold higher grade point averages than non-musicians in the same school.
1983: Milley, J., Buchen, I., Okerlund, A., and Mortarotti, J. “The arts: An essential ingredient in education.” Position paper of the California Council of Fine Arts Deans. California State University, Long Beach.
Students in the PALS project (Art as a Learning Strategy), which included music in the curriculum, out-achieved those not in the program in reading proficiency.
1982: Walker, S. “Learning to read through the arts, Title I children’s program. Final evaluation report, 1981-82.” Brooklyn NY: Office of Educational Evaluation, New York City Board of Education. Available from ERIC.
Participation in a program that included music and other arts in instruction to emphasize listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in teaching reading led to improved student behavior, greater motivation to read, and increased student interest and emotional growth in sixth grade students.
1981: L.L. Kelley. “A combined experimental and descriptive study of the effect of music on reading and language.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.
First grade students receiving Orff-Schulwerk-based music instruction performed better on oral and silent reading sections of the Botel Reading Milestones Test than those not receiving the musical training.
1981: J. Robitaille, S. O’Neil. “Why instrumental music in the elementary schools?”. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 63.
Fifth grade students who participated in instrumental music scored significantly higher in the areas of reading and language on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills than those who did not participate in music.
1980: New York City Board of Education. “Learning to read through the arts: Title I children’s program, P.S. 9.” Brooklyn NY: Division of Curriculum and Instruction.
The inclusion of music and the arts in this reading program resulted in a dramatic rise in reading test scores.
1975: I. Hurwitz, P.H. Wolff, B.D. Bortnick, K. Kokas. “Nonmusical effects of the Kodaly Music Curriculum in primary grade children.” Journal of Learning Disabilities 3 (3).
First grade students receiving Kodaly-based music instruction performed better on reading tests than students not receiving the music instruction.
1972: D.L. Nicholson. “Music as an aid to learning.” Ph.D. dissertation, New York University.
Studied effectiveness of music instruction in improving ability of slow learner in development of reading readiness skills. Group receiving music instruction scored higher on Metropolitan Readiness Test and Botel Test of Reading Achievement.
1972: Anello, J.A. “A comparison of academic achievement between instrumental music students and non-music students in the El Dorado and Valencia High Schools of the Placentia Unified School District 1971-72.” Unpublished dissertation, Brigham Young University.
Found that students participating in instrumental music had higher grade point averages in math, English, and social studies.
1969: ESEA Title I Evaluation Report. “Wichita program for educationally deprived children, September 1968-August 1969.” Available from Educational Resources Information Center (ERI). [Call 1-800-LET-ERIC for more information on how to obtain publications.]
Students who had participated in keyboard lessons scored higher in math and history than students who had not. (Their IQ scores were not higher than that of the other students.) Gains were made in the corrective reading program when music and other arts were used in the curriculum.
1967: E.A. Movsesian. “The influence of teaching music reading skills on the development of basic reading skills in the primary grades.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Southern California.
Studied effects of teaching music reading skills while students are learning basic reading skills, grades 1, 2, 3. Group receiving music reading instruction performed significantly better on California Achievements Tests (Reading Section), Gray Oral Reading Test, and Survey of Primary Music Reading Development.
1959: Friedman, B. “An evaluation of the achievement in reading and arithmetic of pupils in elementary schools instrumental music classes.” Dissertation. Available from University Microfilms, Inc., 1-800-521-3042.
Fifth grade instrumental music students out-achieved their non-music student peers in reading for meaning.