Researchers from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center looked at how different types of music and silence were processed in the brains of 21 people with epilepsy. Whether listening to classical music or jazz, all of the participants had much higher levels of brain wave activity when listening to music, the study found. Brain wave activity in the epilepsy patients tended to synchronize more with the music, especially in the temporal lobe, the researchers said. ~ Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 10, 2015

“You have to understand what it means for a combat veteran to be agitated in the waiting room. Their pupils are dilated. They are angry or waiting for something to happen. But when we have live music that day, they come to me far more relaxed. It’s like an amazing miracle, and I don’t say that lightly.” ~ Dr. Hani Khouzam, quoted in, “Live music at Fresno’s VA Hospital makes a big difference,” by Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times, January 16, 2013.

“Look carefully and you’ll find musicians at the top of almost any industry. Woody Allen performs weekly with a jazz band. The television broadcaster Paula Zahn (cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships; NBC’s Andrea Mitchell trained to become a professional violinist. Both Microsoft’s Mr. Allen and the venture capitalist Roger McNamee have rock bands. Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. Steven Spielberg is a clarinetist and son of a pianist. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall.” ~ Joanne Lipman, “Is Music the Key to Success?” The New York Times, October 13, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/is-music-the-key-to-success.html?_r=0

A study of almost one thousand Finnish pupils who took part in extended music classes, found they reported higher satisfaction at school in almost every area, even those not related to the music classes themselves. ~ Eerola & Eerola, “Extended music education enhances the quality of school life,” Music Education Research, 2013.

A study of 8 to 11-year-olds found that, those who had extra-curricular music classes, developed higher verbal IQ, and visual abilities, in comparison to those with no musical training. ~ Forgeard et al., “Practicing a Musical Instrument in Childhood is Associated with Enhanced Verbal Ability and Nonverbal Reasoning,” PLOS One, 2008.

Playing a musical instrument strengthens eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills, and kids who study an instrument learn a lot about discipline, dedication and the rewards of hard work. ~ http://nisom.com/index.php/instruction/health-benefits

Kids who make music have been shown to get along better with classmates and have fewer discipline problems. More of them get into their preferred colleges, too. ~ http://nisom.com/index.php/instruction/health-benefits

Research at McGill University in Montreal, Canada showed that grade-school kids who took music lessons scored higher on tests of general and spatial cognitive development, the abilities that form the basis for performance in math and engineering. ~ http://nisom.com/index.php/instruction/health-benefits

Teens described their music teachers as encouraging, motivating and acting as both role models and friends that can be trusted for listening and giving advice. ~ Presentation to U.S. Congress, 2007, Washington D.C. (Invited and arranged by the National Association of Music Merchants/NAMM, on “The Impact of Music on the Lives of Children and Adolescents”).

A study at the University of California at Irvine demonstrated that young kids who participated in music instruction showed dramatic enhancements in abstract reasoning skills. In fact, researchers have found neural firing patterns that suggest that music may hold the key to higher brain function. ~ Rauscher, Shaw, Levine , Ky and Wright, “Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship,” University of California , Irvine , 1994

Music is no cure-all, nor is it likely to turn your child into a Nobel Prize winner. But there is compelling evidence that it can boost children’s academic performance and help fix some of our schools’ most intractable problems. ~ Joanne Lipman, “A Musical Fix for American Schools,” The Wall Street Journal, October 10, 2014.

Researchers found that after two years, children who not only regularly attended music classes, but also actively participated in the class, showed larger improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers. ~ Nina Kraus, director of Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, quoted in Melissa Locker, “This Is How Music Can Change Your Brain,” Time, December 16, 2014.

Secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse). ~ Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. Reported in Houston Chronicle, January 1998

Music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving, and flexibility in work situations ~ July 2014 Harris Poll

Two-thirds (67%) of Americans say music education provides people with a disciplined approach to solving problems. ~ July 2014 Harris Poll

Seven in ten Americans (71%) say that the learnings and habits from music education equip people to be better team players in their careers. ~ July 2014 Harris Poll

Eight in 10 teachers and more than seven in 10 parents believe the number of minutes of music education required every week is an important quality component. ~ NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC (2015). Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K–12 Music Education in the United States: 2015.

Nearly half of parents and teachers support integrating music into the professional development of all educators ~ NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC (2015). Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K–12 Music Education in the United States: 2015.

Substantial majorities of both teachers and parents view student access to music and arts education as “extremely” or “very” important. ~ NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC (2015). Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K–12 Music Education in the United States: 2015.

Perserverance is developed and strengthened through music education. ~ Scott, L. (1992). Attention and Perseverance Behaviors of Preschool Children Enrolled in Suzuki Violin Lessons and Other Activities. Journal of Research in Music Education, 40(3), 225-235.