Interveiws

I am almost done with the interveiw with Mr.Taylor. I am just waiting on hiw last reponse and I will be able to put up the interveiw since it was via email. He has given me some good answers and I really do appreciate his help.

Sadly, I haven't heard back from Mrs. Dobberstien though. I don't know if she is busy or has a lot going on.

Also, I can't interveiw Mr. Lindner due to the fact that he is not here due to family health issues. That also means that I can't turn in any mentor logs.

I also havent heard from my old high school band teacher at all. I hope that if I send another email, I can get a response.

Continuing to learn

I am almost finished with the interveiw with Mr.David Taylor.

He is the choir teacher here at northern and he also teached Music theory. He has also taught A.P Music theory in past years and also was a band director that had a marching band.

He is my teacher and I do look up to him and I am learning a lot from his responses.

Starting to finish

Today, while waiting for my interveiws to all come together, I am going to start working on my powerpoint. I have a lot of things I have to do like:

Title page

My project

What I planned on doing

My issues

My blog

Research

Interveiws

Findings

Conclusion

I have a lot of information for each subject. I don't know how long this powerpoint is going to take and I am also going to have pictures and videos which help my point.

Interveiws

These past few days, I have been starting to interveiw Mr. Taylor, the choral and music theory teacher here at Northern, and my middle school band teacher, Mrs. Dobberstien. I have recieved emails back but the interveiws aren't finished yet. Hopefully all of my questions will be answered and more people will take my survey.

The power of music

Update #3

Lately, I have been trying to get more interveiws especially with professors. I have some or students but I don't have any for teachers or professors yet and I have been trying to contact people but not many have responded. I have been doin a lot of research in the mean time and have gained a lot of information to help my point and I haven't once found anything against it. All of the evidance I have found is stating the good about music and not the bad. 

More Info

While Researching, I found some interesting information that helps prove my point that music does truely help those who allow it to...

In 2001, students participating in music scored higher on the SATs than students with no arts participation.
• Scores for students in music performance classes were 57 points higher (Verbal) and 41 points higher (Math).
• Scores for students in music appreciation classes were 63 points higher (Verbal) and 44 points higher (Math).
College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001

All from         http://www.schoolmusictoday.com/advocacy/musicadvocacyfacts.html

Sarah Dessen

Factiods

Factoid #1

Studies show that where schools increase opportunities for the arts for all students, test scores rise proportionately.... Although pull-out instrumental lessons in the intermediate grades often come under scrutiny, largely due to scheduling, research has shown that creating time in the school day for band or choir has no impact on participants' test scores.

Paul G. Young, Principal of West Elementary School, Lancaster, PA, and President of the National Association of Elementary School Principlals 2002-2003

Source: Principal Magazine - Source Date: 2003-01-01

Factoid #2

Six studies in the last decades have been conducted to investigate the academic effects of removing students from the regular elementary classroom for string instruction. The studies involve both urban and suburban school districts differing in size, socioeconomic mix, and racial balance. All six studies show that student math and reading achievement test scores are not affected by classroom pull-out.

Source: "The Elementary Pullout Crisis: Using Research Effectively" ASTA publication

Source Date: 1998-04-01

Factoid #3

Student productivity is defined as academic achievement and satisfaction. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of the reorganization of school time -- the school calendar and the length of instructional periods -- on student satisfaction at the high school level. To read more about their research please go to link below.

Source: National Association for Year Round Education (NAYRE)

Source Date: 2003-01-13



Research part 2

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 specific 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 first" 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 flexible 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. Music contributes to mental health and can help prevent risky behavior such as teenage drug abuse.

12. An arts education exposes children to the incomparable.

Research part 1

• Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading skills than their peers who do not participate in music lessons.
• Studying music primes the brain to comprehend speech in a noisy background.
• Children with learning disabilities or dyslexia who tend to lose focus with more noise could benefit greatly from music lessons.
• Research shows that music is to the brain as physical exercise is to the human body. Music tones the brain for auditory fitness and allows it to decipher between tone and pitch.
• Children who study a musical instrument are more likely to excel in all of their studies, work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school, and pursue further education.
• In the past, secondary students who participated in a music group at school reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).
• Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2 percent graduation rate and 93.9 percent attendance rate compared to schools without music education who average 72.9 percent graduation and 84.9 percent attendance.
• Regardless of socioeconomic status or school district, students who participate in high-quality music programs score 22 percent better on English and 20 percent better on Math standardized exams.
• Much like expert technical skills, mastery in arts and humanities is closely correlated to high earnings.
• A study from Columbia University revealed that students who study arts are more cooperative with their teachers and peers, have higher levels self-confidence, and are more equipped to express themselves and their ideas.
• Elementary age children who are involved  in music lessons show greater brain development and memory improvement within a year than children who receive no musical training.
• Learning and mastering a musical instrument improves the way the brain breaks down and understands human language, making music students more apt to pick up a second language.   



The Truth

Many people don't realize that without music education, the music that we listen to everyday would not exist. Without the music teachers of the past, we would not have the singers, dancers, and a lot of entertainments that we enjoy and use so much today.Without the Steps of Parnasuus, our world today would be completly different. No music, no instruments, no chiors, and a lot less celebirties that we look up to so much.

Spring break

I haven't been keeping my blog up to date, I have to admit. It has been a tough week an I have been trying to calm down from the disappointment of not being accepted to a lot of my colleges. It has been hard to keep my mind on this project because of the pain music has caused me in the past week.