GITC research confirms that music integration improves classroom learning and cooperation while creating new musicians and new business for music dealers, teachers and manufacturers.
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(August 1, 2009, Solana Beach, CA) - According to the results of Guitars In The Classroom's 2009 Teacher Impact Study, GITC's STRUM & SING and AMIGO interdisciplinary music integration programs have proven effective in improving students' performance in classrooms as well as increasing their interest in music participation. The results are based on responses from classroom teachers representing more than 3,500 pre-K to 12th grade students in GITC programs in California, Vermont, Maryland, Michigan, and Nebraska. Among the highlights of the study were statistics in the areas of teacher involvement, student performance and market development.
Teacher Involvement
- More than half of the classroom teachers in GITC programs are dedicated veterans who have been teaching for 10-25 years. 56% integrate music weekly, 13% integrate music every day.
- 87% of teachers said their school administrations are supportive of their efforts to integrate music in their classrooms.
- 40% include collaborative student songwriting as part of their academic instruction.
Student Performance
- Nearly three-quarters of teachers indicated that GITC improved student engagement in the classroom. The same percentage reported that GITC helped them reach out to their most disruptive students.
- Two-thirds of teachers indicated that guitar integration helps them differentiate instruction more effectively for students with disabilities. Half indicated that guitar integration helps them differentiate instruction for gifted and talented students.
- More than 60% of teachers said that GITC causes students to contribute more in class and helps improve comprehension of the lesson material.
- More than half of teachers (54%) indicated that guitar integration improves achievement for both their English-speaking and English Language Learning (ELL) students. Significantly, 7 out of 10 teachers indicated that GITC provides a musical experience that would otherwise not be available to low income students.
AMIGO Program
The Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) study also evaluated the results of the first year of its innovative AMIGO program. Funded by the NAMM Foundation, AMIGO is an extension of the GITC method that specifically targets the rising population of ELLs in public schools. Teachers completed the AMIGO survey after implementing music integration in their Pre-K to Sixth grade classrooms for 8 weeks while training with GITC during the spring of 2009.
While 89% of AMIGO teachers reported that their own Spanish language skills were non-existent or at only the beginner level, nearly one-fourth of their students were ELLs. Teachers reported success helping better than half of these students make progress with English Language proficiency because of music integration.
- Teachers reported that students benefitted most in the areas of oral fluency and story-telling; 60% reported positive impact in the areas of following oral directions, identifying story details, and recognizing English phonemes (the basic distinctive units of speech sound). Teachers indicated that 64% of students showed improvement in identifying morphemes (the minimal grammatical units of a language) and nearly three-quarters of students had increased oral participation during AMIGO integration.
Market Development
- 60% of GITC teachers had no prior guitar experience. However, more than one-fourth indicated that they planned to buy a guitar within one year of beginning the program.
- 65% of GITC students expressed the desire to own a guitar and 77% wanted additional guitar instruction.
By extrapolating the available data, the 2008-2009 AMIGO program stimulated potential requests for nearly 25,000 guitars and 30,000 guitar lessons. Furthermore, based on the average price of $120 for a student model guitar with gig bag and $15 for a beginning guitar lesson, AMIGO could stimulate about three million dollars in new business for the guitar industry from GITC teachers, children and their families. In previous years, statistics have shown that between 35% and 60% of students who asked their families for guitars received them. Conservative projections therefore suggest that a single year of the music industry's investment in the AMIGO program has created between 8,750 and 15,000 new guitarists and brought between one and two million dollars of new guitar sales into the market place. Furthermore, these numbers only relate to AMIGO classrooms in California and do not include potential market growth from GITC's more fully developed music integration programs in nearly 30 other states.
Overall, the GITC study shows that music integration programs are highly successful in improving the effectiveness of classroom education, making music participation available to all students and expanding many segments of the music market. The entire 2009 GITC Teacher Impact Study as well as additional support material and teacher testimonials will be posted at the GITC website shortly.
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Guitars In The Classroom is a non-profit organization that provides
innovative musical training for classroom teachers so all students can
experience the joy and essential benefits of making music. Its programs
deliver ongoing instruction, access to instruments, and educational
materials that weave music across the academic curriculum in
sustainable, grassroots programs, nationwide. For further information
or to get involved, please contact GITC at 858-755-2239 or go online to
www.guitarsintheclassoom.org.
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08-28-09
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