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Music and the brain...

Music education builds brain power, a key to improving academic performance and a key to helping at-risk students and students in
low-performing schools.

Childhood music lessons actually enlarge the brain. German researchers found that the brain area used to analyze musical pitch is an average of 25% larger in musicians. The younger the musical training begins, the larger the area.

After learning eighth, quarter, half and whole notes, second and third graders scored 100% higher than their peers who were taught
fractions using traditional methods.

College-bound seniors who'd had music experience scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion of their SATs and 37 points higher in math than did those without arts instruction.

A study by the Rand Institute on Education and Training shows that participating in the arts can dramatically impact public safety in communities at risk, and there is a 21% decrease in drop-out rates where area schools offer music and arts education.

A Texas Commission on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse report showed that secondary students who participated in band or orchestra
reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances.

In a study of six elementary schools in a large suburban school district, students viewed their role as band members as part of their identity and benefited from both peer and adult recognition. In studies of measurable results in the emotional and social development of children, the relationship between music