It was surprisingly quiet as the 6th graders at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., got to work. Without a word from their instructor, they moved their desks to the exterior of the classroom, positioned their chairs in a half-circle, and lined up to retrieve their drums from the gym. Some of the oversized instruments they lugged back were nearly as tall as the lanky adolescents, but they carried them with care.
Even at 8:45 on a Thursday morning, these students were engaged from the moment their hands met the thick, leather surface of the drums. As they prepared for an upcoming performance, they practiced with remarkable technique. If a student's timing got off track, an "oh, sorry" was usually muttered, and the beat would resume. Peer critique was given without judgment. Some students assumed leadership roles, while others followed intently, layering on the soulful rhythm in the background.
"I love music class," the instructor said at one point. "It teaches you how much you listen … or don't listen."
The African drumming elective cultivates more than listening skills; it "taps into students' social, cognitive, and motor skills," says Two Rivers arts coordinator Tonia Vines. Students "gravitate" toward the elective, which accommodates the auditory and tactile needs of diverse learners. Students are motivated to arrive to class on time, have fewer behavioral incidents, and often "shine" in drumming even when they struggle in other classes.
What's just as important, assures Vines, is that "they walk out of the classroom feeling good about themselves."
Icing on the Cake
Those positive outcomes resonate with the findings of a new study that brands itself as "the largest investigation of the association between playing a musical instrument and brain development." By analyzing the brain scans and behavioral data of 232 6- to 18-year-olds, a team led by University of Vermont researcher James Hudziak found that playing an instrument is "associated with more rapid cortical thickness maturation within areas implicated in motor planning and coordination, visuospatial ability, and emotion and impulse regulation." Essentially, these young musicians have a better handle on their emotions, and tend to be more focused and less anxious.
The study is the icing on the cake of a vast swath of research outlining the cognitive and social benefits of music education. Mike Blakeslee, deputy director of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), says the research "supports not only music inherently, but also music for its effects on the whole child and on the curriculum."
Participation in music education has been linked to improved memory and focus; higher self-esteem; improved spatial reasoning abilities; and enhanced skills such as collaboration, empathy, critical thinking, and creativity. A 2012 study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience revealed that receiving formal music instruction as a child "leaves an imprint" on the adult brain, resulting in "more robust brainstem responses to sound."
Studies have also tied music education to higher GPAs and improved achievement in reading and math. Then there are the benefits to the school as a whole; a 2006 study released by NAfME found a correlation between strong music programs and higher graduation and attendance rates—data that was corroborated by the 450 high school principals surveyed.
"The inherent value of music [can] develop the kinds of qualities, knowledge, skills, and dispositions that we want in all of our kids," confirms Blakeslee.
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Vision, Time, and Perspective
So how can principals use this research to develop a music program rooted in those outcomes? "Every principal has a vision for their school and how it should serve the community," acknowledges Blakeslee. Focus on "whichever slice of benefits" best supports that vision, and work collaboratively with your music teachers to design a program that aligns with the academic goals of your school.
"If you have a 7th grade strings class, what precisely are the kids going to be learning, what are they going to be creating, what kind of performances are they going to be doing, and how are they going to respond to music?" asks Blakeslee. "What are the dispositions that you expect them to develop in terms of self-discipline and practicing and working as a group? How are you going to get there?"
Classes such as drumming, guitar, and songwriting help diversify the curriculum at Two Rivers, whose vision is to give students "rich and varied options for their future.""We want kids to be able to accept information in ways that fuel their creative side," says Vines, and the music program directly supports that goal.
In Brooklyn, New York, Principal Sandra D'Avilar crafted an elementary arts program with a whole child vision in mind. A member of the ASCD Whole Child Network, the Teunis G. Bergen School, Public School 9 introduces students to a range of experiences in the arts that are built into the regular schedule. D'Avilar says that students are engaged and challenged (two Whole Child tenets) when they learn how to read and play music. When they take part in musical theater or perform on stage, they draw on the three artistic processes at the heart of the National Core Music Standards: creating, performing, and responding.
When students in grades 2–5 participate in the violin program, they "show an improvement in their social and emotional behaviors," observes D'Avilar. "We have students who have ADHD, and playing the violin has provided them with a balanced curriculum [and] the opportunity to focus more and relax." As a result, it helps them "apply concentration and focus to their academics."
"Music is part of who we are as a school community," D'Avilar confirms.
Administrators who communicate this message tend to see music as "a discipline that has to be taught sequentially and evaluated properly" rather than just a "fun time for the kids," notes Blakeslee. These school leaders also limit disruptions to music classes and offer multiple opportunities to participate.
Protecting a Lifeline
Nestled in rural Tennessee, the Tullahoma City School District has taken a systemwide approach to integrating music in a high-quality, standards-based, sequential arts program. Superintendent Dan Lawson, who was recently honored by the Tennessee Music Education Association, works with his principals and fine arts teachers to identify ways the schedule and physical space can accommodate these courses. To anchor the program in data, Tullahoma was one of the first districts in Tennessee to opt in to the state's Fine Arts Student Growth Measure Portfolio.
Situated in a town of just 20,000, the district ranks among the top in the state in funding for its visual arts, music, and theater programs. Lawson personally advocates on behalf of the arts in public forums and attends nearly every school concert and event—even performing vocally alongside students and taking on cameo roles in community theater productions.
His equable presence inspires other administrators to attend events as well, which "has led to a wonderful relationship between the administration, fine arts faculty, and fine arts students," says retired band director Stephen Coleman.
It's a shared investment, Lawson says, that comes back tenfold. "This is something that's important for our kids, our parents, and our community," he vows. "It provides both immediate benefits for our students and long-term benefits for the community and for the children that our students will raise someday."
Data show that Tullahoma students who participate in the fine arts program do better academically. By practicing an instrument, singing with the chorus, or participating in another fine arts class, students hone a strong work ethic and skills such as tenacity, flexibility, teamwork, and problem solving.
Lawson recalls how these skills were put to the test during a rival football game last year. Just as Tullahoma High School's marching band took the field to perform, a few students from the opposing school shut off the stadium's lights. Despite the darkness, the band played on to the surprise of nearly everyone in the stands. This kind of resilience "speaks volumes about what the University of Vermont [study] is alluding to," Lawson beams.
The "fine arts are not an add-on, but rather an essential component of what makes our kids successful in school and in life," he adds. In Lawson's district, principal candidates "won't get through the building" if they don't share this core belief.