As music educators, we occasionally find it necessary to justify the inclusion of music in school curricula. Often, we are reluctant to call upon research that established links between music study and achievement in other subject areas. We know in our hearts that we don't teach music to improve math scores. Unfortunately, maintaining a "music for its own sake" stance can be difficult when parents, administrators and other policy makers have not directly benefitted from a rich and rewarding relationship with music during their own school experiences. We can, however, offer evidence, backed by solid research, that music education can have strong emotional, physical and cognitive benefits. In early 2015, Susan Hallam, research professor at University College London's Institute of Education, published a document that synthesizes the results of important studies on the effects of music on learning and behavior conducted over the past 40 years. The executive summary of her report, "The Power of Music", is included here. Those who wish to delve more deeply into specific studies can follow this link.
