The majority of our nation’s eighth-grade students can’t sing in tune, play instruments or read music, according to the last National Assessment of Educational Progress. If you take them to a ball game, they can’t sing the national anthem in tune, even if they know the words. Most can’t play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on an instrument. If you locked the refrigerator door with a combination that required simple rhythmic drumming to open it, most would starve to death.  Let’s be serious now. What difference does it make if they can’t sing? They get all the music they want on the radio and through CDs. Are they going to be any smarter, richer, or happier if they can belt out a tune or beat out a rhythm?

Yes! Studies indicate that musical ability is as related to intelligence as is math or language. Music is an intelligence, says Dr. Howard Gardner, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard University. In fact, making music may affect the very organization of the brain which positively impacts achievement in math, reading, and other disciplines. A study in Pawtucket, Rhode Island based on the Kodály (Ko-dye) music education approach documented improved math and reading achievement, behavior and attitude in first grade students. The students received more music time, visual arts, and the involvement of their classroom teachers. A replication of this study at Powderhorn Community School in Minneapolis Public Schools yielded similar results, with the most significant gains in word recognition and math. Another study reveals that young children who can tell the difference between different pitches become better readers. A Wisconsin study finds that kindergartners who play piano keyboards can also put puzzles together much faster.   Then, there are the actual brain studies, such as the one that found that children who start practicing an instrument before they are nine have a larger area in their brains that processes sound. Marian Diamond’s research in her book, Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child’s Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth through Adolescence, says that rats with toys in their cages grow thicker cortexes within four days. Rats in other cages watching rats with toys don’t exhibit brain growth. Most of us see this as common sense: you learn by doing. And you learn music by making music.

Everyone can learn to sing in tune and play instruments because music making is learned behavior. Sure, some individuals are going to be exceptional at it, but music is no more a special talent or gift than is math or language. The tragedy is that we teach as if it is, so most of our children never learn to make music well.  Imagine never learning to speak or read or understand language. Imagine never experiencing the pride and joy of linking letters and sounds into sentences on a page.    Most music teachers are not trained to teach all children how to sing in tune, play instruments, improvise, compose and analyze music. In their college methods courses, they learn primarily how to develop a small percentage of our children -- those who are most musically able and/or motivated and whose parents pay for lessons and instruments. The rest of the population is taught to “appreciate” the music the others make. The majority of children are finished with music education by age thirteen.    I have watched lifelong teachers of music break down in tears when they were finally taught how to teach all children to become competent music makers -- able to sing in tune, play instruments, improvise, compose and analyze music. Music education approaches under the names Kodály, Orff, Dalcroze and Gordon offer instruction that shows teachers how to enable all students to achieve competence in making music. This is what is called for in the National Standards for music education.    What is needed is a shift in understanding: music making is a learned behavior that benefits children's health, well being and academic achievement. Let's not wait for more data and analysis; it's simple to get started now.   1.  Classroom teachers can begin by having children sing daily.  Using folksongs and singing games can transform the classroom into a happy, lively, cooperative community of learners.  2.  Music teachers can seek new training in Kodaly, Orff, Dalcrose and Gordon.  3.  Administrators can allocate funds to train classroom teachers, retrain music teachers, add more music instruction time for students, and purchase additional instruments.     Americans want to see improved learning in our schools. Music education that ensures music making for all of our children not only contributes to this goal but enriches the lives of all of us. Let’s get to work (and play!).