Music Instruction Helps Students Succeed

Did you know music changes lives?

• Young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically in early school years. Findings of a recent study showed that there was a significant difference in the academic achievement levels of students classified according to rhythmic competency. Students who were achieving at academic expectation scored high on all rhythmic tasks, while many of those who scored lower on the rhythmic test achieved below academic expectation. Source: “The Relationship between Rhythmic Competency and Academic Performance in First Grade Children,” University of Central Florida, Debby Mitchell

• A ten-year study, tracking more than 25,000 students, shows that music-making improves test scores. Regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making students get higher marks in standardized tests than those who had no music involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams. Source: Dr. James Catterall, UCLA, 1997

• “The nation’s top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st century.” Source: “The Changing Workplace is Changing Our View of Education,” Business Week, October 1996.

Success Thru Strings is a program designed for students interested in studying violin.

Success Thru Strings uses the Suzuki Method of violin instruction.
Students begin Success Thru Strings while they are in first grade.
Students study with a Valley Symphony Orchestra (VSO) violinist.
Students attend a private lesson plus a group lesson most weeks during the school year.

The VSO believes so strongly in Success Thru Strings, it provides Valley children with the opportunity to study violin regardless of the family’s ability to afford private violin lessons. Two-thirds of the students participating in the program receive scholarships.

Students are selected through an interview process. Interviews begin in the fall of each school year.
Parents who are interested in Success Thru Strings for their child should contact the symphony office, 956-661-1615, for more information.

Success Thru Strings
receives a grant award from the McAllen Art Council