Does music education matter?

Clearly music education matters to our team of musicians, performers and veteran music educators. But does it matter beyond the people that so passionately support it?

In past posts, we’ve shared why travel matters and how important it is to bring the lessons taught in the classroom to life in new and tangible ways. Today, we want to focus on how important those classroom lessons truly are, both to students and the culture at large.

Language, mathematics, testing and beyond

Every year, more and more research is presented that connects music to every area of academic performance. Studies have shown so many correlations between music education and achievement in the classroom, including:

• Enhanced reading and cognitive development
• Improved verbal memory
• Increased capacity for spatial reasoning
• Higher standardized test scores
• Higher overall GPAs

Often music education is diminished in favor of more “academic” subjects; however, research is connecting the dots between music in the classroom and higher academic achievement overall – making the argument for a well-rounded education even stronger.

Quality of life and future growth

The link between music in schools and academic performance is strong, but music impacts much more than report cards and test scores. Research focused on how music affects us as members of society is just as enlightening. Music education has shown to: 

• Increase confidence, positive self-expression and pro-social behavior
• Improve critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Decrease the likelihood students will abuse alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs

Yet around the world, an increasing number of schools are reducing or eliminating their music programs. More than 1.3 million elementary school students have no access to music instruction – even though 93% of Americans feel that the arts are a critical component of a well-rounded education.

So what do we do?

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably all too familiar with the challenges facing the arts in our schools. You’re also part of the solution. Your commitment to your music students matters and the important work you do is seen. You’re why we do what we do! And why we value the experience veteran music educators bring to our team. For our part, we donate at least 1% of our profits every year to non-profit organizations, schools and performing arts groups because we want to see our dollars in the classroom and on stage. We also donate 1% of our product through individual student and full program scholarships. 

To learn more about how we support the arts, check out our BRT Gives Back Program. If you’d like more information on music education research and data that may help support your program’s efforts, here are several helpful sources: