Research Shows Music Education Costs Less Than You Think
Despite a growing body of research highlighting the positive effects of arts programs on students’ school success (Johnson & Memmott, 2006), multiple pressures on public school budgets consistently put funding for music and other arts programs at risk in many school districts. To increase knowledge of the true costs of music education programs The NAMM Foundation supported an exploratory study conducted by APA Consulting of music program spending in a diverse group of 10 school districts across the country. The study addressed the following four research questions:
- How much in money and in-kind resources are available for music education?
- How are the resources available for music education spent?
- What are the sources of the resources supporting music education? How much do districts depend on non-general operating fund support for their music education programs? What about other forms of support such as student fees, community partnerships, or community volunteers?
“The Cost of High-Quality Public School Music Programs: It’s Less Than You Think” outlines the answers to these research questions, and suggests that the data show investing in music programs is a worthwhile investment for school districts across the U.S.