Music and Academics
Music teachers have
always known that their students change because of music study. We
can see it happen right before our eyes. But researchers tell us
that those observations do not prove causation. In other words, we
are not sure if music makes kids smarter - or if smarter kids
select music. However, research may soon eliminate that
uncertainty.
Soon, researchers will be able to reconstruct information from available data base files to determine many additional variables among successful students. For now, the best information that we have comes from longitudinal studies. Dr. Frances Rauscher conducted one such project in 2003. That research is very helpful, and there will surely be more. (Rauscher, F.H. (2003). Effects of piano, rhythm, and singing instruction on the spatial reasoning of at-risk children. Proceedings of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music, Hannover , Germany : Hannover University Press.)
Dr. Rauscher performed her study with a large number of Head Start students with no discernible difference in their abilities or backgrounds. She divided the students into four groups. One group took singing lessons, another group took piano lessons, the third group had lessons on rhythm, and the fourth group had no lessons so that there would be a base line to determine the performance of Head Start students without intervention. The results were surprising.
All of the groups that studied music made advances in their levels of spatial temporal reasoning as compared to the control group. However, the group that studied rhythm exceeded them all. Even a year after music instruction had ceased, the rhythm students scored higher than their middle class counterparts.
Dr. Rauscher's work with these low socio-economic students achieved results that are rare by any measure. The analysis of these results may be stated as follows:
Rhythm study provides intensive experiences that may compensate for a lack of brain stimulus in earlier life. This enhancement is so significant that low socio-economic status students develop understandings that surpass the accomplishments of same-age, middle-class peers in certain math-related brain functioning.
In response to that conclusion, the next step is to learn how to start students in rhythm study as early as possible. So we set out to design a fun and stimulating rhythm study program for pre-kindergarten students. The demands of such development are complicated because all students cannot have time with a qualified music teacher. With the automated instruction that RhythmBee provides, entire schools can approach results similar to those achieved by Dr. Rausher's rhythm students. The RhythmBee General Music Program is the result.
The Pre-K and General Music page of this website provide further details.
Soon, researchers will be able to reconstruct information from available data base files to determine many additional variables among successful students. For now, the best information that we have comes from longitudinal studies. Dr. Frances Rauscher conducted one such project in 2003. That research is very helpful, and there will surely be more. (Rauscher, F.H. (2003). Effects of piano, rhythm, and singing instruction on the spatial reasoning of at-risk children. Proceedings of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music, Hannover , Germany : Hannover University Press.)
Dr. Rauscher performed her study with a large number of Head Start students with no discernible difference in their abilities or backgrounds. She divided the students into four groups. One group took singing lessons, another group took piano lessons, the third group had lessons on rhythm, and the fourth group had no lessons so that there would be a base line to determine the performance of Head Start students without intervention. The results were surprising.
All of the groups that studied music made advances in their levels of spatial temporal reasoning as compared to the control group. However, the group that studied rhythm exceeded them all. Even a year after music instruction had ceased, the rhythm students scored higher than their middle class counterparts.
Dr. Rauscher's work with these low socio-economic students achieved results that are rare by any measure. The analysis of these results may be stated as follows:
Rhythm study provides intensive experiences that may compensate for a lack of brain stimulus in earlier life. This enhancement is so significant that low socio-economic status students develop understandings that surpass the accomplishments of same-age, middle-class peers in certain math-related brain functioning.
In response to that conclusion, the next step is to learn how to start students in rhythm study as early as possible. So we set out to design a fun and stimulating rhythm study program for pre-kindergarten students. The demands of such development are complicated because all students cannot have time with a qualified music teacher. With the automated instruction that RhythmBee provides, entire schools can approach results similar to those achieved by Dr. Rausher's rhythm students. The RhythmBee General Music Program is the result.
The Pre-K and General Music page of this website provide further details.
