The Nonmusical Outcomes of Music Education: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

sion, all arts education in the school curriculum. The problem lies in the fact that it is extremely difficult to state precisely just what benefits a student derives which make music instruction an essential part of his education. It may be assumed that a music education of good quality will make growth in musical understanding and skill possible and even likely. Many music educators are convinced that such learning will foster increased aesthetic sensitivity and will make a lasting contribution to the quality of a student's life through a heightened ability to share more of the affective power of the art of music.1 While such thinking is the basis for most school music programs, it seems quite probable that there also may be concomitant effects which are not so obvious to the public or even to music educators themselves, but which are nevertheless products of music education. Because rich experiences in music and the other arts involve both the mind and the feelings, they become a special means of learning about the nature of man. It is possible that they may influence a student's thinking and behavior in ways that have not been fully explored. Nonmusical outcomes may occur whether or not the objectives of the teacher include provision for them. It is the position of the Music Educators National Conference that these ancillary effects of music instruction accrue to the student regardless of the motivation that initially led to the inclusion of music in the curriculum.2 Whatever that motivation may have been -art of its intrinsic value or art as a tool of learning- it is important for music educators to examine these ancillary effects for the information they may yield about the result of the teaching process and for the justification they may provide for maintaining strong arts programs. It is for these reasons that an evaluative review of the research was undertaken. The literature related to the arts in education abounds with statements regarding the positive effect of the arts on the learning process. The following is typical:

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