ARTS MAY IMPROVE STUDENTS’ GRADES
by Carl Hartman, The Associated Press, 10/22/99

WASHINGTON (AP) - If your teenagers want to be in the high school band or drama club, let them. It may improve their grades.

High school students who take music lessons and join theater groups do better in math, reading, history, geography and citizenship, according to a study of Education Department data to be published today.

"If young Americans are to succeed and to contribute to what Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan describes as 'our economy of ideas,' they will need an education that develops imaginative, flexible and tough-minded thinking," Education Secretary Richard Riley said in a message accompanying the study. "The arts powerfully nurture the ability to think in this manner."

The study, which tracked more than 25,000 students for more than 10 years, found that students who reported consistently high levels of involvement with instrumental music scored significantly higher on math tests by the 12th grade. This observation held true for students regardless of their parents' income, occupations and levels of education, said James S. Catterall, the lead author and an education professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

While 38.6 percent of higher-income students who were uninvolved in music scored high in math, 48 percent of those highly involved in music received high marks.

"Kids who are more advantaged tend to be more involved in the arts. Period. They have more opportunities and you'd expect them to do better," Catterall said in an interview.

But the influence of music was far more pronounced among lower-income students.

Among the lower-income students without music involvement, only 15.5 percent achieved high math scores. But of the musically oriented group, more than twice as many excelled in math. "It's not a matter of economic advantage. It's a matter of something happening with the arts for the kids," Catterall said.

The study also found that as students progress through high school they are less likely to be involved in the arts.

"There's a clear trend," Catterall said. "Kids' participation in the arts declines. It may be that high schools offer fewer programs than middle schools or that kids are more concerned with academics or admissions to college."

Fewer than 3 percent of seniors take out-of-school classes in music, art or dance, compared with more than 11 percent of sophomores.

More than half of the "high-involvement" seniors are found in top levels on standardized tests, compared with fewer than 43 percent of the "low-involvement" seniors.

This study was one of seven included in "Champions of Change - The Impact of the Arts on Learning," by Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of The New York Times. The project was sponsored by the GE (General Electric) Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Texas All State Band Members

SAT Results

as Compared to National and State Averages

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Composite Score	1098	1132	1211	1210	1216	1207	1215
National Average	902	910	1013	1016	1017	1016
State Average	886	893	995	996	995	993

Current brain research indicates that many people naturally think musically - especially as young children. As parents and educators it is imperative that we value creative thinking in children and ensure that their capacities for learning music are as fully developed as possible. In order to achieve this goal, music classes taught by specialists should be part of every student's school day,

PREPARATION FOR LIFE

We all want our children to experience a healthy, happy and prosperous life and to enjoy themselves in the process. There are certain mental tools which aid in this goal, and music is crucial in honing these tools:

Creativity. Music opens horizons of the mind and supports wonderment, imagination, appreciation, and sensitivity. Creativity is the source of possibility and is a mental muscle that must be trained and exercised often.

Communication. Music is a language beyond words. Music can only be explained with music because of its various styles, textures, tempos, and dynamics. Music truly stirs the soul of people. No words or visual display can come close to the emotional impact of music.

Critical Assessment. Music is one of the key areas where an individual can develop a consistency between intellectual and emotional understanding. Here is the chance to bridge the cognitive and affective data of life, which many feel is the recipe of genius. We can create formulas instead of just solutions, and we can be pro-active rather than re-active. We can open the mind and avoid tunnel vision - and in doing so, come up with discerning opinions which develop quality character.

Commitment. It is almost impossible to be "partially committed" to music. One may quit on a test, refuse to turn in an assignment, or just not be aware of what is going on in a lecture class, but the participation level in music requires a focus of attention unlike most subjects in school. Music causes one to learn persistence and the value of "not giving up," even when there is the temptation to throw in the towel. Many have pointed to "stay power" as one of the greatest personal attributes in our society. Welcome to one of the key benefits of the study of music.

Excerpts from "The Value of Music" by Tim Lautzenheiser, Attitude Concepts for Today.

Music and Academic Achievement

Northgate High School Band Members

Cumulative Grade Point Averages

Concert Band Students 78.5 Average GPA

Entry level concert band for students

from Middle Schools

Symphonic Band Students 89.56 Average GPA

Middle level Concert band for

students who have moved past

entry level achievement levels

at the High School level

Advanced Band Students 91.6 Average GPA

Most Advanced level concert band

for students performing music

written for professional bands

and orchestras. Usually only available

to juniors and seniors who have

participated in 2 to 3 years of previous

band classes

Marching Band Students 89.84 Average GPA

Mixture of students from all

three of the above bands. Typically

rehearse every day after school and

participate in several weekend

activities throughout the fall

Concert Band only Students 83.26 Average GPA

Typically students who chose

not to do marching band in

order to focus on academics

We have found over the years that the self discipline, time management skills and peer tutoring program available to marching band students causes students to perform at higher academic levels than their peers that choose NOT to participate in marching band in order to focus on academic achievement. These statistics bear that out.

MUSIC MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Did You Know?
Middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests. University studies conducted in Georgia and Texas found significant correlations between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science and language arts.
Source: University of Sarasota Study, Jeffrey Lynn Kluball; East Texas State University Study, Daryl Erick Trent

Did You Know?
Music training helps under-achievers. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became "test arts" groups, receiving ongoing music and visual arts training. In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months, the students were given a standardized test. The "test arts" group had caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22 percent. In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.
Source: Nature May 23, 1996

Did You Know?
A ten-year study, tracking more than 25,000 students, shows that music-making improves test scores. Regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making students get higher marks in standardized tests than those who had no music involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams.
Source: Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997

Did You Know?
High school music students score higher on SATs in both verbal and math than their peers. In 2001, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 41 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework/experience in the arts.
Source: Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board

Did You Know?
The world's top academic countries place a high value on music education. Hungary, Netherlands and Japan stand atop worldwide science achievement and have strong commitment to music education. All three countries have required music training at the elementary and middle school levels, both instrumental and vocal, for several decades. The centrality of music education to learning in the top-ranked countries seems to contradict the United States' focus on math, science, vocabulary, and technology.
Source: 1988 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IAEEA) Test

The Philosophy of the Viking Band Program

The overall philosophy is summed up best in our bands motto,

“Nothing Less Than The Best”.

Below you will find a few other quotes and thoughts that have helped lay the philosophical groundwork for the band program here at Northgate. I hope they might give you a better understanding of who we are and what we stand for.

Losers Find Excuses, Winners Find a Way

The difference between a successful person and others has nothing to do with intelligence or talent; it’s a matter of will

----- Vince Lombardi

Do just once what others say you cannot do and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.

----- James R. Cook

Practice with Real Intensity to Develop Excellence

Perform with Real Intensity to Demonstrate Excellence

Excellence can only be achieved by

Dreaming more than others think is practical

Risking more than others think is safe

Caring more than others think is wise

Expecting more than others think is possible

Whatever it takes…….

----- G. Armstrong

People fail in direct proportion to their willingness to accept socially acceptable excuses for failure

----- W. Steven Brown

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit.

----- Aristotle

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.

---- A. Armstrong