Benefits of High School Band

You have tons of choices going into high school, here are just a few benefits from being in the high school band!

Students of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT! A recent report from the College Board found that students in music performance groups scored 57 points higher on the critical reading, 43 points higher on the math and 58 points higher on writing than students with no arts participation; students in music appreciation scored 62 points higher on verbal, 41 points higher on math and 61 on writing. - The College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report.

Band reinforces the skills of cooperation which are among the qualities now most highly valued in business and industry, especially in high-tech contexts. Members are required to shift from an I/Me focus to a We/Us focus. Instead of the logic being, "what's in it for me," it becomes, "what's in it for us?" Band is a group effort which focuses on group goals and the completion of those goals in each and every rehearsal and performance.

Kids stay engaged in school: An enjoyable subject like music can keep kids interested and engaged in school. Student musicians are likely to stay in school to achieve in other subjects.

“I consider a lot of my growth as a player and as a person happened learning the saxophone: being coached by conductors and teachers, reading sheet music and understanding how to practice by repeating the same thing over and over again and you see how much easier the song becomes. If you want to see how very cut-and-dry, how practice can cause you to improve, play an instrument. There’s not going to be anything more cut-and-dry. The first time you play the piano, you’re going to be pretty freaking bad. You’ll get better pretty quick just by practicing. The value of practice and the value in putting in extra time, all of that was taught from music.” -Jason Kelce

"The nation's top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st century." - "The Changing Workplace is Changing Our View of Education." Business Week

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Better self-confidence: With encouragement from teachers and parents, students playing a musical instrument can build pride and confidence. Musical education is also likely to develop better communication for students.

"The flute is the way. It took me so long. But, you know, I always talk about this. Like, it's a testament to who you are. When you hide who you are, it makes it harder for people to get to know you and to love you. But as soon as you are unashamed of who you are – I was so nervous that people would call me a nerd or think I wasn't cool. But as soon as I showed the world all of me, that's when they started to fall in love with me." -Lizzo