Champions of Change
A collection of seven major studies that examined the role of arts education on the academic, behavioral, and thinking lives of children. The report acknowledges the "messy, often hard-to-define real world of learning, both in and out of school" and, therefore, sees these findings as all the more relevant.

Art of Education Success
Schools that go beyond basics and include arts studies produce better students. "A study of 23 arts-integrated schools in Chicago showed test scores rising up to two times faster there than in demographically comparable schools. A study of a Minneapolis program showed that arts integration has substantial effects for all students, but appears to have its greatest impact on disadvantaged learners. Gains go well beyond the basics and test scores. Students become better thinkers, develop higher-order skills, and deepen their inclination to learn. The studies also show that arts integration energizes and challenges teachers."

Arts and Academic Achievement
Current research on the role of the arts in student achievement.

 Arts Should Be Part of Every Child’s Education
Written by Paul Meecham, Executive Director of the Seattle Symphony, and Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of the Seattle Sympony, this December 2004 article emphasizes the need to integrate arts into Seattle's Schools.  We thank The Seattle Times and the Seattle Symphony for allowing us to share it here.

Does Music Have an Impact on Student Development?
This article contains a lot of good, usable data on the benefits of music education in the overall education of students including thinking skills, self-discipline, dexterity, coordination, self-esteem, listening skills, creative abilities, and personal expression.

Sound of Music: The Influence of Music Education
This is an arts advocacy article that includes recommendations from the National Commission on Excellence in Education.

Why Music and Art Education are Important
This a short list of statements from researchers regarding the benefits of arts classes.

Highlights of Arts Education Research
This is a page of facts related to the benefits of arts education.

Better Brains through Music
New research has found that music lessons do more than teach a child how to play an instrument. You may have heard about the "Mozart Effect"—the theory that babies exposed to classical music show more advanced brain development than other babies. But only recently have studies found provable links between musical training and the comprehension of math and science. When children listen to music and learn to play it, they use both sides of the brain, setting up mental pathways and connections they'll use all their lives.|

Why Music?
This is a great summary of studies touting the overall benefits of music education.