Why Arts Education Matters

"The Arts are an essential part of public education. From dance and music to theatre and the visual arts, The Arts give children a unique means of expression, capturing their passions and emotions, and allowing them to explore new ideas, subject matter, and cultures. They bring us joy in every aspect of our lives. Arts education not only enhances students’ understanding of the world around them, but it also broadens their perspective on traditional academics. The Arts give us the creativity to express ourselves, while challenging our intellect. The Arts integrate life and learning for all students and are integral in the development of the whole person. The Arts communicate and speak to us in ways that teach literacy and enhance our lives. We must continue to find a place for arts programs and partnerships not only for what it teaches students about art, but for what it teaches us all about the world we live in."

- Dr. Terry Bergeson - Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction - November, 2001

With so much emphasis being placed on the WASL and other forms of standardized testing, it comes as no surprise that music and art programs in public schools can often seem marginalized.  Funding for art and music programs varies from school to school and from district to district.  Each is dependent on the robust efforts of teachers, administrators and, of course, enthusiastic parents.  

While we might believe intuitively that music and art programs are important, their specific benefits are often hard to describe.  It can be difficult to quantify not only because of the abstract nature of art but because the skills required to perform well, both individually and in ensembles, cross so many different disciplines.  Much has been learned, however, through the efforts of advocacy groups, researchers and educators, about the significant influence that music and art programs have on our kids.  We know that:

• Schools with music programs have graduation rates of 90.2 percent, as compared with a 72.9 percent rate for schools without music education, according to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll of high school principals funded by the National Association for Music Education and International Music Products Association (NAMM). The poll also found that schools with music programs have attendance rates of 93.3 percent, compared with 84.9 percent for those that don’t.


• In 2006, SAT takers with course work or experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the college entrance exam and 43 points higher on the math portion than did students with no such experience in the arts. Scores of those with course work in music appreciation were 62 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, according to the College Board’s 2006 Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report.


• A November 2007 Harris poll found that 86 percent of college graduates had some music education when they were in school, compared with 65 percent for those who had not completed or completed only high school. Eighty-three percent of people earning $150,000 or more had a music education, the poll found.


• In 2003, California schools participating in the Math+Music program (piano lessons in conjunction with math software) scored 25% higher in math proficiency than schools not participating in the program. From: "Unlocking Math's Mysteries With Music," Orange Coast Magazine, August 2004.


• A study done by Bredekamp and Copple in 1997 found that children need daily musical activities to help with expressing ideas and feelings. From: "Self-Esteem: A Byproduct of Quality Classroom Music," by Laverne Warner. Childhood Education, Volume 76, Issue 1, page 19; Copyright 1999.


• Art students were more likely to score higher on creative thinking test questions than the non-arts control group. From: "Does Studying the Arts Engender Creative Thinking? Evidence for Near but Not Far Transfer," Erik Moga, Kristin Burger, Lois Hetland, and Ellen Winner, Journal of Aesthetic Education, Fall 2000 34 (3-4): 91-104


• The corpus callosum (the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two halves of the brain) was found to be larger in musicians who started their musical training before age seven than those who started after age seven or non-musicians. From: "In vivo morphometry of interhem ispheric assymetry and connectivity in musicians." (1994). In I. Deliege (Ed.), Proceedings of the 3d international conference for music perception and cognition (pp. 417-418). Liege, Belgium.

Facts and data aside, the pure joy of the arts and of music making ought to be enough!

Sources and Additional Quality Reading:

Do We Really Need a Reason?
by Debbie Cavalier, Dean of Continuing Education at Berklee College of Music's online extension school.

State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Our continuous goal for the arts is to offer and support a comprehensive and sequential, standards based K-12 arts program, in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts, available to all learners in all 296 school districts in Washington State.

School Music Matters: A Music Education Advocacy Resource Center
A Website maintained by Plank Road Publishing, publishers of Music K-8 magazine, the resource magazine for elementary and middle school music teachers.

Music for All
Committed to expanding the role of music and arts in education, heightening the public’s appreciation of the value of music and arts education and creating a positive environment for the arts through societal change.

Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Working for a more musical tomorrow, the mission of the MTNA is to advance the value of music study and music making to society and to support the professionalism of music teachers.