Grammys Offer Opportunity to Highlight Music Education

A new Harris Interactive executive omnibus poll of senior business leaders shows a positive association between music education with career advancement. Overall, nearly three-quarters of executives (73 percent) were involved in some type of music program while in school. Vice president and higher executives from Fortune 1,000 companies interviewed were more likely to have stayed in music education programs longer than the general public.

When looking specifically at the "C Suite," the top executives of companies, 43 percent had participated in music education programs for more than 5 years, compared to only 19 percent of the general population. Eighty-five percent felt music education has influenced their sense of personal fulfillment, while only 69 percent of the general population feels this way.

Seventy-two percent of executives with music education feel music education equips people to be better team players in their careers and 71 percent feel music education provides you with a disciplined approach to problem solving.

The October 2007 Harris Poll of the general public showed 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. This new poll, looking specifically at executives in top companies across the nation, confirms the October poll findings demonstrating music education provides skills and attributes that can lead to success in careers later in life.

"The workforce of the 21st century is complex. More and more manual labor, traditionally blue collar jobs are disappearing and knowledge based careers are replacing them. Creativity and imagination are becoming particularly important to the workforce of tomorrow," said Dr. John Mahlmann, Executive Director of MENC: The National Association for Music Education. "Music programs are interactive by nature. Picking up an instrument, manipulating a synthesizer, using a pencil to invent a new combination of sounds, or bringing to life a musical masterwork is an act of creation. There is no limit as to where or how far one can go with these skills. Music education teaches people how to think and work with others -- skills that are the foundation to success in our society today."

With the No Child Left Behind Act currently up for reauthorization in Congress, a discussion on music education is more important right now than ever. Music is recognized, on paper, as a core academic subject but with actual testing in only a narrow range of subjects, music is usually one of the first programs to be cut.

"The sad irony is that 'No Child Left Behind' is intended to better prepare our children for the workforce of the twenty-first century, yet it's leaving music behind despite its proven benefits," said Dr. Mahlmann. "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."

Dr. Elliot W. Eisner of Stanford University reports the arts have cognitive effects, aiding in the preparation for entry into the workforce of the 21st century. Specifically, he cites the following key competencies as being developed through arts education: perception of relationships, skills in finding multiple solutions to problems; attention to nuance; adaptability; decision making skills; and visualization of goals and outcomes.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that arts, entertainment and recreation will grow by 30.9 percent and add 595,000 new jobs by 2016.

The full results of the MENC Executive Omnibus study can be found at http://www.MENC.org

Methodology:

Harris Interactive conducted the study by telephone within the United States in the fall of 2007 among 150 senior executives in Fortune 1000 companies. These executives were VP and higher and 110 of these had music education.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed), measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, interviewer errors and non-response, including refusals.

With one exception, sampling error, the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world's largest arts education organization, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC's activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.