Does Music Education Improve Test Scores?

Students who participate in music and other types of art programs in schools are likely to do better on tests taken in class as well as the standardized tests required for admission into colleges. In the United States, the College Entrance Examination Board found that students who were involved in some sort of music classes or programs were likely to score an average of 107 points higher on SAT® tests than students who were not involved in any type of art or music classes.

More facts about music and testing:

• Additional results from the College Entrance Examination Board indicate that, on average, students who were involved in music education scored 39 points higher on math SAT questions and 53 points higher on verbal questions.


• The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 found that students who were involved in art education, including music classes, earned more academic awards than students who were not involved in art of music curriculums.


• Research conducted at the University of Montreal has indicated that engaging in musical activity activates regions in all four areas of the brain's cortex, which plays a key role in functions such as thought, memory and language. It also stimulates activity in the cerebellum, which plays a major role in motor control and coordination.