Through the years, great minds have discovered the undeniable connections that exist between music and the acquirement of knowledge.  Plato once said, “…music is a more potent instrument than any other for education…” and Einstein said of his theory of relativity, “it occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition”.  Today, modern scientists are joining Einstein and Plato in the idea that through music, a student may achieve academic feats that lead to social success and the attainment of understanding.

It is understood that though technology is increasing rapidly, the level of success among high school students is rapidly decreasing.  Perhaps this is a result of the changing times, or simply the overwhelming amount of stress and work it takes to graduate with what is now deemed an acceptable education.  Either way, this decline does not have to continue or to even exist.  Recent studies have revealed that the very fine arts whose programs and budgets are slowly being weeded out of the American education system can significantly increase the level of performance exhibited by each individual scholar.  In a study conducted among preschoolers, those who were taught piano and voice scored 34% better in spatial and temporal reasoning ability and 80% higher on object-assembly tests than students who spent the same amount of time learning to use computers (“Music Increases Intelligence”).  Also, in a 1994 college entrance examination, students who had training in some form of music performance scored 49 points higher on the verbal, and 36 points higher on the math portions of the test than those who had no previous musical experience.  These same students were shown to have a higher grade point average than their peers (“Music Increases Intelligence”).  Scientists believe that this is a result of what is now widely known as the Mozart Effect.  The idea of the Mozart Effect was first recognized in 1993, and was accredited to doctors Frances Rauscher and Gordon Shaw.  Rauscher and Shaw discovered that the spatial scores of a given group of college students significantly increased after listening to Mozart’s Piano Sonata K448 (“The “Mozart Effect”…).  Further studies have shown that brain scans of musicians reveal a larger planum temporale (an area of the brain that is associated with reading skills) and a thicker corpus callosum (the connective fibers that link the two halves of the brain).  (“Music Education Facts and Figures”).

Music is also a helpful study aid.  According to an evaluation by the Center for New Discoveries in Learning, the use of slower (about 60 beats a minute) Mozart and other Baroque pieces results in higher retention of material and a much calmer demeanor.  This happens because the music activates the right side of the brain while the words that the student is reading activate the left side, maximizing the learning potential by a minimum of five times (“How Music Makes You Smarter”).  Statistically, the connection between education and the arts is undeniably obvious; however, the effects of music on learning capabilities transcend beyond the black and white boundaries of scholastic achievement.

            Though music is integral to the learning process within the classroom, involvement in the fine arts may result in more than just educational success.  As a matter of fact, education itself goes beyond the school walls and transcends into life itself.  Education and knowledge consist, not only of the facts and figures that one must recite in arithmetic, but also of the experiences and events that characterize one’s daily life.  Many studies state that music fosters good health, creativity, enhanced memory capacity, physical coordination, etc. (“Music Education Facts and Figures”).  Also, music can be very important to the social development of a child.  Children who are successful in school and participate in extra-curricular activities are bound to be more outgoing and well adjusted than children who are not involved.  Students who participate in music must work together with one another in order to accomplish their goal of playing a piece correctly.  This teaches discipline, patience, and social awareness.  Just like a sports team, music teaches students that it takes more than one person to accomplish a lofty goal.  By working together, each student learns not only that they need other people, but that other people need them as well. 

            Over the past thirty years or so, the role of true musicians in American society has rapidly deteriorated, to the point of extinction.  However, despite the low demand for professional instrumentalists, many job opportunities are made more available to those who have a musical background.  For example, in a study of medical school applicants, 66% of all music majors who applied were admitted, while only 44% of those majoring in biochemistry made the cut.  Also, the most elite technical designers and engineers in the Silicon Valley are, almost without exemption, active musicians.  Music is also useful in on the job training.  Companies such as AT&T and IBM are now using music from the Baroque period to cut their training time in half and increase the retention of new materials (“How Music Makes You Smarter”).  Being involved in music is also useful in college admissions and scholarships.    In a statement issued in the publication of the Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do, the college board specifies that “preparation in the arts will be valuable to college entrants whatever their intended field of study”.  (“Music Increases Intelligence”).   

Works Cited

"How Music Makes You Smarter." The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, Inc.  27 Jan. 2005. <http://www.howtolearn.com/Mozart.html>.

"The "Mozart Effect": How Classical Music Improves Intelligence & Learning." Child Development Institute. 27 Jan. 2005. <http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/ develoment/Mozart_Effect.htm>.

"Music Education Facts and Figures." 2002. MENC-The National Association for Music Education. 27 Jan. 2005 <http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html>.

"Music Increases Intelligence." Tom Lee Music Site. 27 Jan. 2005. <http://www.tomlee

music.ca/main/academy.cfm?id=103>.