[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 64 (Friday, May 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E831-E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE MANY VALUES OF MUSIC EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2002

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House, and as 
Chairwoman of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I constantly work to 
support and expand the enjoyment of artistic and musical expression for 
all Americans. I especially recognize the positive educational and 
economic aspects of the arts and, because of these benefits, have 
worked on a bipartisan basis to secure additional funding for the 
National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the 
Humanities.
  It is because of my interest in the arts that I was pleased to read 
Tim Wendel's article ``Healing Harmonies'' (USA Weekend 10/28/01). It 
now appears that the arts--and music specifically--offer additional 
benefits that are closely related to my professional training as a 
microbiologist. While microbiology strives to benefit public health 
both through research and treatment, Wendel now shows that music 
similarly benefits public health. In his article, Wendel shows that top 
neuroscientists have found music aids in pain relief, in battling 
cancer, and by accelerating the healing process for stroke victims and 
victims of Parkinson's disease. Music has even been tied to the 
retrieval of lost memory for Alzheimer's patients, and to improved 
concentration in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity 
Disorder.
  One may conclude from Wendel's ``Healing Harmonies'' that the 
benefits of music are indeed extraordinary. I would like to note, 
however, that it is in great part because of the talent and dedication 
of music educators that we are able to reap the diverse rewards of 
music. Not only do these educators bring to us an aesthetic 
appreciation of music, they also create, through music, benefits that 
spill over to other educational disciplines as well.
  MENC--The National Association for Music Education provides data 
illustrating some of these advantages. In its official publications, 
MENC reports that students involved in music earn better grades than 
their peers and score higher on their SATs. Music study also correlates 
directly with a proficiency in language acquisition and mathematical 
reasoning.
  The Congress has recognized the powerful impact of music education. 
In the recently-passed ``No Child Left Behind Act,'' music educators 
such as the members of MENC are entrusted not only with the important 
role of nurturing music and the arts in our schools, but have also been 
given by Congress a statutory voice in the educational policy process. 
Working with school administrators, music educators will help ensure 
that our students receive the many positive benefits of music, which 
eventually benefit us all.
  I invite my colleagues to take this opportunity to review selected 
excerpts from both Wendel's article and the Music In Our Schools

[[Page E832]]

Month (MIOSM) Advocacy Update, and I ask that these selections be 
inserted at this point in the Congressional Record.

  [From Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM) Advocacy Update, Issue 1, 
                                 2002]

                  Making Decisions on Music Education


           Research Shows Positive Impact of Music Education

       As a major distributor of educational research, MENC has 
     published a peer-reviewed music education publication, the 
     Journal of Research in Music Education, for 50 years. In 
     1998, NAMM-International Music Product Association founded 
     the International Foundation for Music Research, which 
     actively supports research work that explores music's role in 
     various stages of life. This research identifies how music 
     contributes to children's cognitive development and learning.
       It is important to call on government to seriously seek out 
     the information that can shape the curriculum in American 
     schools to the benefit of American children. More than ever 
     before, there is an urgent need for research to underpin the 
     inherent value and importance of music in education. Studies 
     have shown music education is correlated with success in 
     other areas of school. Students involved in music are less 
     likely to be involved in disciplinary infractions than their 
     peers and they are more likely than non-music students to get 
     good grades, as shown by SAT scores. Research has also 
     indicated that music study correlates with spatio-temporal 
     intelligence, which is important in proportional mathematical 
     reasoning, and new research suggests that music study and 
     language acquisition, including reading readiness and early 
     literacy skills, seem to go together.

                    [From USA Today, Oct. 28, 2001]

                             Healing Powers


           Researching the Links Between Melody and the Mind

                            (By Tim Wendel)

       New studies indicate that listening to and playing music 
     actually can alter how our brains, and thus our bodies, 
     function. Scientists use the sound of music to do everything 
     from battling cancer and mining the memories of Alzheimer's 
     patients to relieving severe pain and boosting kid's test 
     scores. Doctors believe music therapy in hospitals and 
     nursing homes not only makes people feel better, but also 
     makes them heal faster . . . Across the nation, a growing 
     number of nursing homes has hired music therapists to help 
     geriatric patients maintain motor coordination and 
     socialization skills. Among the beneficiaries: Some stroke 
     and Parkinson's patients have recovered more rapidly with 
     musical accompaniment during physical therapy.
       ``We're only beginning to understand the value of music,'' 
     says Deforia Lane, a music therapist at Cleveland's 
     University Hospital. ``We are tapping into the fundamental 
     ways our brain interprets [it] and drinks it in . . .''


Music Therapy Helps Medical Patients, Brain Trauma, Alzheimer's Disease

       Doctors are just starting to apply the new revelations 
     about music's impact on the brain to treating patients. 
     [Michael] Thaut composes and plays original compositions with 
     a specific beat to help victims of stroke, cerebral palsy and 
     Parkinson's disease recover body functions. He and his 
     colleagues observe patients in physical therapy, then compose 
     music tailored to their movements. Speed, symmetry and music 
     activity improve faster than when the sounds are synchorized 
     to individuals' gait patterns. In a recent study, Thaut's 
     team detailed how patients who worked to music took bigger, 
     more balanced strides than those whose therapy had no 
     accompaniment.
       Other researchers have found the sound of drums may 
     influence how bodies work . . . Suzanne Hasner, chairwoman of 
     the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in 
     Boston, says even those with dementia or head injuries retain 
     musical ability. ``Deep in our long-term memory is this 
     rehearsed music,'' Hasner says. ``It is processed in the 
     emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here's where you 
     remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your 
     first love, that first dance. Such things can still be 
     remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can 
     be a window, a way to reach them . . .''
       Earlier this year, researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness 
     Center in Meadville, Pa., reported the results of an 
     experiment in which 111 cancer patients played drums for 30 
     minutes a day. They found strengthened immune systems and 
     increased levels of cancer-fighting cells in many of the 
     patients . . .
       And just this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics 
     published a study showing music may help children with 
     attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Kids tried to match 
     various musical tones by tapping their hands and feet. The 
     exercises improved their concentration and control of 
     aggression . . .
       It seems now more than ever the healing power of music, 
     over body and spirit, is being put to the test . . . Science 
     is just now beginning to understand how.

     

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