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SAT Scores of Music Students Are Higher

Students of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT, according to reports by the College Entrance Examination Board. In 2001, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 41 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework or experience in the arts. Scores for those with coursework in music appreciation were 63 points higher on the verbal and 44 points higher on the math portion.

Data for these reports were gathered by the Student Descriptive Questionnaire, a self-reported component of the SAT that gathers information about students' academic preparation.

Course Title	Verbal Mean Scores			Math Mean Scores
	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
Acting/Play Production	543	542	541	532	532	531
Art History/Appreciation	518	517	518	517	518	518
Dance	514	514	512	508	510	510
Drama: Study or Appreciation	534	534	534	521	522	523
Music:Study or Appreciation	538	538	539	534	537	538
Music Performance	530	532	533	531	534	535
Photography/Film	526	526	527	524	526	526
Studio Art/Design	525	524	525	527	528	528
No Arts Coursework	477	477	476	492	496	494
Honors Courses			565			564

Years of Study	Verbal Mean Scores			Math Mean Scores
	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
More than 4 years		543	544		543	545
4 or more Years	538	536	535	537	532	530
3 Years	515	516	518	513	517	518
2 Years	506	506	506	511	513	513
1 Year	498	497	497	508	510	510
.5 Year or Less	487	486	485	499	500	500

Sources: The College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Other Valuable Information & Links
Below you will find information and resources covering a wide variety of music education topics of interest to teachers, parents, students, researchers, music industry professionals, and others. New topics and resources are added as information becomes available, so visit often!

Academic Achievement and Music: Read about the positive effects of music on learning.
Advocacy Information, Music Education: See how you can help support music education through MusicFriends!
All-State and state-run festivals: Help with locating festival procedures, adjudication forms, audition materials, final concert programs, and more.
Arts Education Partnership: a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic and government organizations. Site contains many advocacy resources in support of the arts.
Block Scheduling: Articles covering block scheduling and various scheduling options.
Careers in Music: Salaries, educational requirements, job descriptions, links, and more.
Certification: State and National certifications, and resources for certification testing.
Financial Aid: Links to Web sites helpful for locating grants, fundraising sources, scholarships, donations and more.
Graduation Requirements in the Fine Arts, U.S. High Schools: A concise summary of Fine Arts Requirements.
International Society for Music Education: An affiliate of MENC representing over 60 countries.
The Music Code of Ethics: “An agreement defining the jurisdictions of music educators and professional musicians.”
Music Education Facts and Figures
Music Education in the Law
NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress in the Arts (Nation’s Report Card): Assessment of academic performance for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade in various subjects, including the arts.
Network Communities: MENC forums where you can find resources, share, and communicate with your peers.
Sacred Music: MENC’s viewpoint on including sacred music in schools.
SAT Scores and Arts Education: SAT scores of arts students compared to non-arts students.
State Music Education Standards: Helpful Web site to learn about music education standards Nationwide.
Statistics, National Center for Education: Fast Facts From Arts Education (1994)
Teacher Shortage/Supply and Demand: Statistics from the American Association of Employment in Education showing the supply and demand of music teachers across the nation.