Music education helps develop originality and flexibility, which are key components of creativity and innovation ~ Craft, A. (2001). An Analysis of Research and Literature on Creativity and Education. Report Prepared for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Coventry, England. Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP). (2010). Forks in the Road: The Many Paths of Arts Alumni: Strategic National Arts Alumni Project 2010 Findings. Bloomington, IN.

Students in high-quality school music education programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of community. ~ Nature Neuroscience, April 2007

Schools that have music programs have an attendance rate of 93.3% compared to 84.9% in schools without music programs. ~ The National Association for Music Education. “Music Makes the Grade.” The National Association for Music Education. Accessed February 24, 2015.

“I would say that music is the easiest means in which to express, but since words are my talent, I must try to express clumsily in words what the pure music would have done better.” ~ William Faulkner

Cognitive and neural benefits of musical experience continue throughout the lifespan, and counteract some of the negative effects of aging, such as memory and hearing difficulties in older adults ~ Parbery-Clark A, A.S., Kraus N. , Musical Experience and Hearing Loss: Perceptual, Cognitive and Neural Benefits., in Association for Research in Otolaryngology Symposium. 2014: San Diego, CA.

Four out of five Americans (80%) believe their music education has contributed to their level of personal fulfillment. ~ July 2014 Harris Poll

The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college. ~ Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do, 1983 [still in use], The College Board, New York

More benefits of music for children include learning cooperation, sharing, compromise, creativity, and concentration – skills that become invaluable as they enter school, face new challenges, and begin to form new friendships and develop social skills. ~ © 2015 Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS), a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization

Teens music as their “social glue” and as a bridge for building acceptance and tolerance for people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. ~ 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”).

Teens are committed to their instruments and their school ensembles because they love to be involved in these musical and social groups; 20% of the respondents specified instruments as part of their musical identities, whether or not they were engaged in school music education. ~ 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 of healthy male college students found that, while riding stationary bicycles, the participants worked harder while listening to fast music. Extra bonus: They also enjoyed the music more. ~ Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed health benefits of music,” USA Today, December 17, 2013.

Music can meaningfully reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine (an area of healthcare that focuses on preventing and relieving the suffering of patients). ~ Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed health benefits of music,” USA Today, December 17, 2013.

Scientists have found that the emotions patients experience while listening to music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function. Music both made study participants feel happier and resulted in increased blood flow in their blood vessels. ~ Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed health benefits of music,” USA Today, December 17, 2013.

“Music has positive affects on people’s emotions and creativity. When we sing together, we synchronize our breathing and feel more connected. Music is also an effective, almost magical medium for learning and retaining information, [because] it activates three different centers of the brain at the same time: language, hearing, and rhythmic motor control. By inducing emotions, it also creates a heightened condition of awareness and mental acuity. Words paired with music are far easier to retain. As an example, most of us can remember the words and meanings of songs we haven’t heard for years. Isn’t it interesting how you still remember your ABCs?” ~ Don McMannis quoted in, “Use Music to developm kids’ skill and character,” Edutopia, March 19, 2009.

“When a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theater or dance production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have the biggest role.” ~ Lisa Phillips, “The artistic edge: 7 skills children need to succeed in an increasingly right brain world,” ARTSblog, Americans for the Arts, 2013.

“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