The vast majority – 96 percent – of the school principals interviewed in a recent study agree that participation in music education encourages and motivates students to stay in school. Further, 89 percent of principals feel that a high-quality music education program contributes to their school achieving higher graduation rates. ~ Harris Interactive Poll, 2006

“I believe arts education in music, theater, dance, and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find the gold that is buried just beneath the surface. They (children) have an enthusiasm for life a spark of creativity, and vivid imaginations that need training – training that prepares them to become confident young men and women.” ~ Richard W. Riley, Former US Secretary of Education

“To be the next great inventor of something we haven’t dreamed of yet, you need to have creative skills. Music really fosters those creative skills.” ~ Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon

“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them – a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” ~ Gerald Ford, Former President of the United States

“Whoever has skill in music is of good temperament and fitted for all things. We must teach music in schools.” ~ Martin Luther

According to a German Institute for Economic Research study, teens who take music lessons outside of school score significantly higher in terms of cognitive skills, have better grades, and are more conscientious and ambitious than their peers. ~ Hille, Al, Schupp, J., (2013), “How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills,” SOEPpapers: The German Socio-Economic Panel at DIW Berlin

“The creative arts are the measure and reflection of our civilization. They offer many children an opportunity to see life with a larger perspective…The moral values we treasure are reflected in the beauty and truth that is emotionally transmitted through the arts. The arts say something about us to future generations.” ~ Ann P. Kahn, Former President of The National PTA

“In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.” ~ Paul G. Allen, Co-Founder, Microsoft

“The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.” ~ Barack Obama

The College Entrance Examination Board found that students involved in public school music programs scored 107 points higher on the SAT’s than students with no participation. ~ Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by the Music Educators National Conference (2002)

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 and math are highly intertwined. By understanding beat, rhythm, and scales, children are learning how to divide, create fractions, and recognize patterns. ~ Lynn Kleiner, founder of Music Rhapsody in Redondo Beach, CA

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

“The arts significantly boost student achievement, reduce discipline problems, and increase the odds students will go on to graduate from college. As First Lady Michelle Obama sums up, both she and the President believe ‘strongly that arts education is essential for building innovative thinkers who will be our nation’s leaders for tomorrow.” ~ Arne Duncan, Former U.S. Secretary of Education

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

“We need people who think with the creative side of their brains – people who have played in a band, who have painted…it enhances symbiotic thinking capabilities, not always thinking in the same paradigm, learning how to kick-start a new idea, or how to get a job done better, less expensively.” ~ Annette Byrd, GlaxoSmithKline

The skills gained through sequential music instruction, including discipline and the ability to analyze, solve problems, communicate and work cooperatively, are vital for success in the 21st century workplace. ~ U.S. House of Representatives, Concurrent Resolution 355, March 6, 2006

Teens feel that playing music teaches self discipline. ~ Shehan Campbell, Patricia. Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music In and Out of School

Two-thirds (66%) of Americans say that music education prepares someone to manage the tasks of their job more successfully. ~ The Harris Poll®, July 2014

Studies have shown that assiduous instrument training from an early age can help the brain to process sounds better, making it easier to stay focused when absorbing other subjects, from literature to tensor calculus. ~ Hearing the music, honing the mind. (2010). Scientific American, 303(5), 16