FROM THE OFFICE OF LAWRENCE E.

BETHUNE
VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENTS AFFAIRES & DEAN OF STUDENTS
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS LEARNED THROUGH THE SERIOUS
STUDY OF MUSIC
Dear Parent:
During my over forty years as a music educator, I have often been asked by parents about the
benefits gained from the serious study of music. In this context, serious study means dedicated
and hard work towards mastering a musical instrument or ones singing voice, becoming fluent
in the theory and language of music, contributing to the success of an ensemble, and attaining a
career in the music industry. In short, becoming an accomplished professional musician.
There are tremendous benefits in simply playing music starting as small children through senior
adulthood. These benefits are also there for the person striving to become a professional. Often,
music educators state the obvious benefits such as enjoyment, developing an appreciation for
music, social interaction, learning to recognize beauty, expressing our emotions and feelings; in
short, music humanizes us.
But there are many transferable skills that one learns. Music is a discipline that teaches problem
solving, a work ethic, creativity, and self-expression; skills that can be applied to just about any
eld.
And, the serious study of music can help one become expert in these skills. Most corporate
CEOs will tell you they would love to have experts who can nd creative ways to solve
problems, who have the self-discipline and self-motivation to improve their own work skills
while mastering the skills to collaborate and cooperate with others to get the job done. Sound
like a musician who learns to practice on his or her own and then merge his or her skills with
others to produce an orchestrated performance?
Just think about what a serious musician needs to do to succeed in music. To be an accomplished
professional musician, one must:
Become uent in a language the semantics of which form the most complete and universal
language;
Develop a rm grasp of mathematics in time to be able to recognize and implement
divisions and subdivisions of time and space, all of which must be done instantaneously
and in the mind;
Understand the genesis of the music, to know the history as music reects the environment
and times of its creation, to then be able to project the right emotion and meaning of the
music;
Create beauty and meaning and help the listener transcend into another time and space;
Set his personal schedule to allocate time for individual practice on his instrument in order
to improve;
Be persistent in adhering to her practice schedule or she will not improve in the time
required;
Take good care of his body, his physical instrument, the good health of which is crucial
to producing an excellent sound;
Develop a practice plan so that she has a graduated and incremental method for achieving
her individual improvement goals;
Integrate those strengths with those of other musicians to produce an ensemble, a group of
musicians who plays and breathes the music as if one human being
Quickly solve problems to constantly keep his performance in sync and in tune with the
others in the ensemble
Quickly correct errors so as to make them insignicant and keep the music moving
forward, without notice or hesitation
Be willing to repeat the same exercise or music over and over again to attain the most
accurate performance
When improvising, become a highly intelligent being who can instantaneously make
decisions as to which note to play next, which rhythm to employ, and how to correct an
error in judgment or decision making;
Develop skills to help her present herself to others, whether in working with collaborators
or applying for a job;
Develop skills to communicate orally with other musicians to produce music within an
ensemble;
These are the skills developed BEYOND talent. These skills can be transferred or adapted to
becoming an accomplished professional in many elds and are especially vibrant and useful
when operating in a eld other than music; thats when the creative use of these skills really
kicks in.
Starting on the next page, I include some information on the power of the study of music. I trust
you see the tremendous benets and transferrable skills one can gain through the serious study of
music.
Enjoy.
Regards,
Lawrence E. Bethune
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
FACTS AND INSIGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC STUDY
! Choral singers are far more likely to be involved in charity work, as volunteers and as
donors, than the average person. Choral singers are also more than twice as likely as non-
participants to be aware of current events and involved in the political process.
! Schools that have music programs have signicantly higher graduation rates than do
those without programs
! Schools that have music programs have signicantly higher attendance rates than do
those without programs.
! Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests
compared to students in schools with decient music education programs, regardless of
the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
! Secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime
and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs).
! Students of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT, according
to reports by the College Entrance Examination Board
! Schools that have higher levels of student participation in the ne arts receive higher
academic ratings and have lower drop out rates.
! Nearly 100% of past winners in the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition in
Math, Science and Technology (for high school students) play one or more musical
instruments.
! Harvard Project Zero researcher Larry Scripp found that notational skills in music,
correlate positively with achievement in math and reading.
! Results of an IQ test given to groups of children (total: 144) who were provided with
lessons in keyboard, voice, drama or no lessons at all showed that the IQ of students in
the keyboard or voice classes increased from their pre-lesson IQ score, more than the IQ
of those students taking drama or no lessons.
! A 2004 Stanford University study showed that mastering a musical instrument
improves the way the human brain processes parts of spoken language.
QUOTES ON THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC STUDY
I dream of a day when every child in America will have in his or her hand a musical
instrument, be it a clarinet, a drumstick or a guitar. And I dream of a day when theres no
state legislature that would even consider cutting funding for music and the arts because
they realize that its a life skill that changes the lives of students and gives them not only
better academic capability, but it makes them better people. We sometimes forget that
many of us in this room, including this guy standing right in front of you, would not be
where he is today if not for having music introduced in my life because it gave me the
understanding of teamwork, discipline and focus. -- Mike Huckabee, Former Arkansas
Governor
Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world
acting to drive wedges between people, its important to preserve those things that help us
experience our common humanity.
Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting System
Music is one way for young people to connect with themselves, but it is also a bridge for
connecting with others. Through music, we can introduce children to the richness and
diversity of the human family and to the myriad rhythms of life. Daniel A. Carp,
Eastman Kodak Company Chairman and CEO
Casals says music lls him with the wonder of life and the incredible marvel of being a
human. Ives says it expands his mind and challenges him to be a true individual.
Bernstein says it is enriching and ennobling. To me, that sounds like a good cause for
making music and the arts an integral part of every childs education. Studying music and
the arts elevates childrens education, expands students horizons, and teaches them to
appreciate the wonder of life. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, July 1999
The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the nation,
is close to the center of a nation's purpose - and is a test to the quality of a nation's
civilization. John F. Kennedy, former President of the United States
There's no better place than a theatrical production to test the characteristics of
humility, work ethic, patience, teamwork, and a commitment to a common goal. Josh
Groban in crediting arts education for teaching him more than simply how to read music.


TWELVE BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION
1. Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning.
It is thought that brain development continues for many years after birth. Recent
studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the
left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually
wire the brain's circuits in specic ways. Linking familiar songs to new information
can also help imprint information on young minds.
2. There is also a causal link between music and spatial intelligence (the ability to
perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures of things). This kind of
intelligence, by which one can visualize various elements that should go together, is
critical to the sort of thinking necessary for everything from solving advanced
mathematics problems to being able to pack a book-bag with everything that will be
needed for the day.
3. Students of the arts learn to think creatively and to solve problems by imagining
various solutions, rejecting outdated rules and assumptions. Questions about the arts
do not have only one right answer.
4. Recent studies show that students who study the arts are more successful on
standardized tests such as the SAT. They also achieve higher grades in high school.
5. A study of the arts provides children with an internal glimpse of other cultures and
teaches them to be empathetic towards the people of these cultures. This development
of compassion and empathy, as opposed to development of greed and a "me rst"
attitude, provides a bridge across cultural chasms that leads to respect of other races
at an early age.
6. Students of music learn craftsmanship as they study how details are put together
painstakingly and what constitutes good, as opposed to mediocre, work. These
standards, when applied to a student's own work, demand a new level of excellence
and require students to stretch their inner resources.
7. In music, a mistake is a mistake; the instrument is in tune or not, the notes are well
played or not, the entrance is made or not. It is only by much hard work that a
successful performance is possible. Through music study, students learn the value of
sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work.
8. Music study enhances teamwork skills and discipline. In order for an orchestra to
sound good, all players must work together harmoniously towards a single goal, the
performance, and must commit to learning music, attending rehearsals, and
practicing.
9. Music provides children with a means of self-expression. Now that there is relative
security in the basics of existence, the challenge is to make life meaningful and to
reach for a higher stage of development. Everyone needs to be in touch at some time
in his life with his core, with what he is and what he feels. Self-esteem is a by-product
of this self-expression.
10. Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace. It focuses on
doing, as opposed to observing, and teaches students how to perform, literally,
anywhere in the world. Employers are looking for multi-dimensional workers with
the sort of exible and supple intellects that music education helps to create as
described above. In the music classroom, students can also learn to better
communicate and cooperate with one another.
11. Music performance teaches young people to conquer fear and to take risks. A little
anxiety is a good thing, and something that will occur often in life. Dealing with it
early and often makes it less of a problem later. Risk-taking is essential if a child is to
fully develop his or her potential.
12. An arts education exposes children to the incomparable.