In honor of the event, Appoquinimink Schools have several exciting programs planned – see below. We’d also like to raise awareness throughout the district about the important benefits of participation in a music program.
Event 1: Band Festival
March 30
9:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon
FREE – family & friends welcome
All the band programs (elementary through high school) in our district are participating in this, our first annual Band Festival. When not on stage, school bands will be seated in the audience where they will listen and cheer for the other groups. It will be a great event with young people sharing their musical accomplishments with their peers, and inspiring younger students to reach for new heights.
Expert Contact:
Matt Pagel, Band Director
Middletown High School
376-4141 ext. 5062
AND
Event 2: Alternative Styles Week
Happening March 1-5
Redding Middle School Auditorium, Room 118
Students in the Strings Program at Redding Middle School and Meredith Middle School are in the middle of an Alternative Styles Week where the teens learn to play different genres of music. This year's focus is Bluegrass/Fiddling, Jazz, and Rock.
Expert Contact:
John Gordon, Secondary School Strings Director (grades 6-12)
Also, The MHS Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and Percussion Ensemble is having their own concert on March 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the MHS Auditorium - free admission.
When can children get involved in Music Programs in the Appoquinimink School District?
- General music education is part of the curriculum in Grades K-5
- Chorus is offered as early as Grade 3
- Band is offered beginning in Grade 4
- Orchestra is offered beginning in Grade 5
- Drama Club is offered in many Elementary Schools and programs are available throughout Middle and High School
- Opportunities to participate in combined, “honors” band and chorus programs are available in our Middle and High Schools
- This spring, we are bringing a visiting musician to work with our Elementary Schools as part of the Artist in Residence Program
What is the value of music education?
- Music promotes use of higher-order thinking skills.
- Music is a way to understand our cultural heritage as well as other past and present cultures.
- Music contributes to sensitivity ("feeling intelligence").
- Music education promotes motor development.
- Music encourages teamwork and cohesiveness.
- Music fosters creativity and individuality.
- Music education fosters discipline and commitment.
- Music is a therapeutic outlet for human beings.
- Music contributes to the school and community quality of life.
What is the research on the link between music and intelligence?
- The National Association for Music Education, Harris Interactive released an independent poll which shows a positive association of music with lifelong educational attainment and higher income. Nearly nine in ten people (88 percent) with post graduate degrees participated in music education. Further, 83 percent of those with incomes higher than $150,000 or more participated in music. "Research confirms that music education at an early age greatly increases the likelihood that a child will grow up to seek higher education and ultimately earn a higher salary.” said Dr. John Mahlmann, Executive Director of MENC: The National Association for Music Education. “While music clearly corresponds to higher performing students and adults, student access to music education had dropped about 20 percent in recent years, thanks in large part to the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Act."
- Middle and high school students who participate in instrumental music programs score significantly higher than their peers in standardized tests. The College Entrance Examination Board found that students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math than students with no arts participation.
--College-Bound Seniors National Report. “Profile of SAT Program Test Takers, Princeton NJ.” The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001 - High school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages (GPA) than non-musicians in the same school.
--National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 - U.S. Department of Education data show that students with high levels of involvement in instrumental music during middle- and high-school years show “significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.”
--James Catterall, Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanage, “Involvement in the Arts and Human Development,” 1999 - Students from low-income families who took music lessons in grades 8-12 increased their math scores significantly. Just as important, reading, history, geography and social skills soared by 40%.
--Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey and Knowled, Nature, May 23, 1996 - A study of 237 second-graders involved with both piano keyboard training and innovative math software scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than students using only the math software.
--Amy Graziano, Matthew Peterson, and Gordon Shaw, Neurological Research 21, March 1999 - A study of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest reading scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.
--The Case for Music in Schools, Phi Delta Kappa, 1994 - Students who were exposed to music-based lessons scored a full 100% higher on fractions tests than those that learned in the conventional manner.
--Neurological Research, March 15, 1999 - Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school.
--Lewis Thomas, Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa, 1994
World leaders weigh in on music education
- “Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective.”
--Bill Clinton, former President, United States of America - “Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and lead to effective study and work habits. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients. For these reasons, it deserves strong support in our educational system…”
--Michael E. DeBaker, M.D., leading heart surgeon - “Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it’s important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity.”
--Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting System
**Participation in Appoquinimink’s music program has never been higher! Please take a moment to recognize the music educators – band, chorus, orchestra, dramatic arts – who are making a difference in our children’s lives.**
