Browse Research


The Effectiveness of Performative Aerial Practice on Mental Health and the Love of Movement

Maria Kosma, et al. | 2020

Kosma, Maria et al. “The Effectiveness of Performative Aerial Practice on Mental Health and the Love of Movement.” Research in Dance Education. (2020): doi:10.1080/14647893.2020.1784868. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine whether skill-based and performative aerial practice was more beneficial on mental health and the love of movement than only skill-based aerial practice. […]


Museums as Classrooms: The Academic and Behavioral Impacts of “School in the Park”

Johanna Lacoe, et al. | 2020

Lacoe, Johanna, Gary D. Painter, and Danielle Williams. “Museums as Classrooms: The Academic and Behavioral Impacts of “School in the Park”.” AERA Open Vol. 6, no. 3 (2020): 1-22, DOI: 2332858420940309. Abstract: Access to community cultural institutions, such as museums, zoos and theaters has the potential to improve students’ educational experiences. This study estimates the […]


The Development of Musical Skills of Underprivileged Children Over the Course of One Year: A Study in the Context of an El Sistema-Inspired Program

Beatriz Ilari, et al. | 2020

Ilari, Beatriz et al. “The Development of Musical Skills of Underprivileged Children Over the Course of One Year: A Study in the Context of an El Sistema-Inspired Program.” Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 7, No. 62 (2016): 1-13. Abstract: This study examined the development of musical skills in children from communities that are historically underserved who […]


Improvisational Theater Classes Improve Self-Concept

Brooke H. DeBettignies and Thalia R. Goldstein. | 2020

Brooke H. DeBettignies and Thalia R. Goldstein. Improvisational Theater Classes Improve Self-Concept. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, (2019). Abstract: The study investigated the effect of improvisational theater classes on children’s self-concept. Fifty-two elementary school children participated in an experimental design study. Children from eight to 11 years old who were enrolled in an […]


The Effectiveness of a Music and Dance Program on the Task Engagement and Inclusion of Young Pupils on the Autism Spectrum

Athina Stamou et al. | 2020

Athina Stamou et al, “The Effectiveness of a Music and Dance Program on the Task Engagement and Inclusion of Young Pupils on the Autism Spectrum,” Music & Science 2 (2019): 2059204319881852. Abstract: This study explored whether music and dance can promote the inclusion of children with autism attending mainstream schools through participation in a novel music […]


Selection Into, and Academic Benefits From, Arts-Related Courses in Middle School for Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Youth

Adam Winsler et al. | 2020

Adam Winsler et al, “Selection Into, and Academic Benefits From, Arts-Related Courses in Middle School for Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Youth,” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, (2019). Abstract: This research on the effects of arts engagement identifies and carefully controls for preexisting selection factors that differentiate those who do and do not get exposure […]


Transforming Teaching Through Arts Integration

Snyder, L., P. Klos and L. Grey-Hawkins | 2019

Snyder, L., P. Klos and L. Grey-Hawkins. (2014). Transforming Teaching Through Arts Integration. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 10(1). Abstract: In four years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) increased sixth- and seventh-grade student achievement on the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) by 20% at a low-performing school. This improvement positively correlates with the implementation […]


Think3d!: Training Spatial Thinking Fundamental to STEM Education, Cognition and Instruction

Taylor, Holly A. and Allyson Hutton | 2019

Taylor, Holly A. and Allyson Hutton (2013) Think3d!: Training Spatial Thinking Fundamental to STEM Education, Cognition and Instruction, 31:4, 434-455. Abstract: This article describes the initial implementation of an innovative STEAM program (Think3d) for elementary-age children that used origami and pop-up paper engineering to promote visuospatial thinking. All students completed assessments at three points in […]


Arts in Education: The Impact of the Arts Integration Program and Lessons Learned

Miller, Joyce Ann and Tania Bogatova | 2019

Miller, Joyce Ann and Tania Bogatova. (2018). Arts in Education: The Impact of the Arts Integration Program and Lessons Learned. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 14 (1). Abstract: This research evaluated an arts-integration project funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant program. The four-year project was […]


Development of a School Orchestra Model in Korean Public Schools and Students’ Perceptions of the Orchestra Experience

Chong, H. J., & Kim, S. J. | 2019

Chong, H. J., & Kim, S. J. (2016). Development of a School Orchestra Model in Korean Public Schools and Students’ Perceptions of the Orchestra Experience. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 17(35). Abstract: This paper outlines an author-developed school orchestra model and describes students’ perceptions of their orchestra experiences after model implementation in terms […]


The Relationship of Pitch Sight-Singing Skills With Tonal Discrimination, Language Reading Skills and Academic Ability in Children

Reifinger, James L. | 2019

Reifinger, James L. “The Relationship of Pitch Sight-Singing Skills With Tonal Discrimination, Language Reading Skills and Academic Ability in Children.” Journal of Research in Music Education 66, no. 1 (2018): 71-91. Abstract: The study investigates correlates that could explain variance in beginning sight-singing achievement, including tonal discrimination, reading fluency, reading comprehension and academic ability. Both curriculum-based […]


Dancing Effects on Preschoolers’ Sensorimotor Synchronization, Balance and Movement Reaction Time

Chatzihidiroglou et al | 2019

Chatzihidiroglou et al. “Dancing Effects on Preschoolers’ Sensorimotor Synchronization, Balance and Movement Reaction Time.” Perceptual and motor skills 125, no. 3 (2018): 463-477. Abstract: This study compared an experimental group of preschool children (n=22; mean age=5 years, 8 months) who followed an eight-week dance program with a control group (n=20; mean age=5 years, 5 months) on pre–post […]


The Effects of Arts Integration on Long-Term Retention of Academic Content

Hardiman, Mariale, Luke Rinne, and Julia Yarmolinskaya | 2019

Hardiman, Mariale, Luke Rinne, and Julia Yarmolinskaya. “The Effects of Arts Integration on Long-Term Retention of Academic Content.” International Mind, Brain, and Education Society 8, no. 3 (2014): 144-148. Abstract: This study reports the results of a small, preliminary classroom-based experiment that tested effects of arts integration on long-term retention of content. The researchers designed […]


The Influence of Classroom Drama on Teachers’ Language and Students’ On-Task Behavior

Anderson, Alida and Katherine Berry. | 2019

Anderson, Alida and Katherine Berry. “The Influence of Classroom Drama on Teachers’ Language and Students’ On-Task Behavior.” Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth 59, no. 4 (2015): 197, doi: 10.1080/1045988X.2014.903464. Abstract: Teachers’ language and students’ on-task behavior were examined during language arts lessons — both with and without classroom drama instruction — […]


Cultivating Interest in Art: Causal Effects of Arts Exposure During Early Childhood

Kisida, B., Bowen, D. H., & Greene, J. P. | 2018

Despite a growing body of literature examining the effects of arts exposure and participation for youth, little is known about the development of attitudes toward art in early childhood. This study uses an experimental research design to investigate the effect of arts exposure on the development of children’s attitudes toward art.


The Effect of Symmetrical and Symmetrical Peer-Assisted Learning Structures on Music Achievement and Learner Engagement in Seventh-Grade Band

Johnson, E. | 2018

The study examines the effect of two different reciprocal peer-assisted learning (PAL) arrangements on music achievement and learning engagement in seventh-grade band classrooms.


Using arts integration to make science learning memorable in the upper elementary grades: A quasi-experimental study

Brouillette, L., & Graham, N. J | 2018

The study tested the hypothesis that the arts might provide upper-elementary students, who were still concrete thinkers, with a powerful means of envisioning phenomena that they could not directly observe.


Measuring Critical Thinking: Results From an Art Museum Field Trip Experiment.

Kisida, B., Bowen, D.H., & Greene, J.P. | 2016

This study uses original data collected through a randomized controlled trial to measure the effects of school visits to an art museum.


The Effects of Musical Training on Child Development: A randomized trial of El Sistema in Venezuela.

Alemán, X., Duryea, S., Guerra, N.G. et al. | 2016

This study aims to assess the effects of a largescale music program on children’s developmental functioning in the context of high rates of exposure to violence using Venezuela’s “El Sistema” program which emphasizes social interactions through group instruction and group performances.


Music composition in the high school curriculum: A multiple case study

Menard, E. A. | 2015

Achieving all objectives in the National Standards for Arts Education would require fundamental changes to the way music is taught in school today.


Effect of a performing arts program on the oral language skills of young English learners.

Greenfader, C.M., Brouillette, L. & Farkas, G. | 2015

The Teaching Artist Project (TAP) is a literacy program that provides K–2 teachers with professional development in theatre and dance with the goal of helping teachers boost the oral language skills of English learners (ELs).


Improv and ink: Increasing individual writing fluency with collaborative improv.

DeMichele, M. | 2015

This article explores how short form/comedic improvisational theater (improv) impacts the development of writing fluency.


Embracing the Burden of Proof: New strategies for determining predictive links between arts integration teacher professional development, student arts learning, and student academic achievement outcomes

Scripp, L., & Paradis, L. | 2014

This study uses statistics to demonstrate the results of a three-year arts integration project conducted by the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education’s (CAPE) Partnership in Arts Integration Research (PAIR) project in Chicago public schools.


Arts integration and the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole School Initiative

Phillips, J., Harper, J, Lee, K. & Boone, E. | 2014

This study examines the impact of the Whole Schools Initiative (WSI), an arts integration model for comprehensive school reform, on students’ academic performance as evidenced primarily by their scores on standardized state exams.


Arts Achieve, impacting student success in the arts: Preliminary findings after one year of implementation

Mastrorilli, T. M., Harnett, S., Zhu, J. | 2014

Arts Achieve: Impacting Student Success in the Arts is a partnership between Studio in a School, the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), and four other premier cultural arts organizations from across New York City (NYC).


Creating cultural consumers: The dynamics of cultural capital acquisition

B. Kisida, J.P. Greene, D.H. Bowen | 2014

The theories of cultural reproduction and cultural mobility have largely shaped the study of the effects of cultural capital on academic outcomes.


The effects of creative dramatics on vocabulary achievement of fourth grade students in a language arts classroom: An empirical study

Joseph, A. | 2014

This experimental design research study provides statistically significant evidence that the two treatment groups outscored the control group when exposed to a creative dramatics intervention.


A study on the relationship between theater arts and student literacy and mathematics achievement

Inoa, R., Weltsek, G., & Tabone, C. | 2014

Past studies have shown positive relationships between the arts and academic achievement when the arts are integrated into language arts, mathematics, and science classes.


Cross-Study Findings: A View into a Decade of Arts Integration

Duma, A. L., & Silverstein, L. B. | 2014

The Kennedy Center’s CETA (Changing Education Through the Arts) program is a professional development partnership designed to support teachers’ employment of arts integration practices in their classrooms.


Increasing the school engagement and oral language skills of ELLs through arts integration in the primary grades

Brouillette, L., Childress-Evans, K., Hinga, B. & Farkas, G. | 2014

Building on previous research on the relationship between the arts and student engagement and achievement, researchers studied the impact of San Diego’s Teaching Artist Project (TAP) on the attendance and speaking and listening skills of children in kindergarten through second grade, with a focus on English Language Learners (ELLs).


Learning to think critically: A visual art experiment

Bowen, D. H., Greene, J. P., & Kisida, B. | 2014

In this study, researchers endeavored to find out whether exposure to the arts affects students’ ability to engage in critical thinking.


High school music classes enhance the neural processing of speech

Tierney, A., Krizman, J., Skoe, E. Johnston, K. & Kraus, N. | 2013

This study examines the impact of two years of in-school music instruction on high school students from predominantly low socio-economic backgrounds as compared with their classmates who received an alternate, non-musical instruction.


Biological impact of preschool music classes on processing speech in noise

Strait, D.L., Parbery-Clark, A., O’Connell, S. & Kraus, N. | 2013

This study compared auditory brainstem responses (ABR) to speech in noise in 32 preschool children, half of whom were engaged in musical training.


At-Risk Elementary School Children with One Year of Classroom Music Instruction Are Better at Keeping a Beat

Slater, J., Tierney, A. & Kraus, N. | 2013

This study, carried out in collaboration with the Harmony Project, a non-profit organization providing free music education to underserved children in Los Angeles, assessed the beat-keeping skills in a group of elementary school children (ages 6 – 9) who had received one year of musical training as compared to a similar group of children with no musical training.


Partnerships in arts Integration Research final reports.

Scripp, L., Burnaford, G. Vazquez, O. Paradis, L. & Sienkiewicz, F. | 2013

The Partnerships for Arts Integration Research (PAIR) final report summarizes results from a four-year, federal Department of Education Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) project administered by the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) and the Chicago Public Schools from 2007-2010.


Historic and ethnic music found to increase geographic understanding: A quasi-experimental study

R. Richardson, L. Brouillette | 2013

This study evaluated an eighth-grade supplementary music and geography curriculum (Mapping the Beat) funded by a grant from the National Geographic Foundation.


The educational value of field trips

Jay Greene, Brian Kisida, Daniel Bowen | 2013

The school field trip has a long history in American public education.


Is it the music or is it selection bias? A nationwide analysis of music and non-music students’ SAT scores

Elpus, K. | 2013

Previous studies have found evidence of a link between high school music participation and higher standardized test scores.


Arts education and positive youth development: Cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes of adolescents who study the arts

Elpus, K. | 2013

This study examined the influence of adolescent participation in the arts on cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes.


Arts enrichment and preschool emotions for low-income children at risk

Brown, E. D., Sax, K. L. | 2013

This study examines the effects of arts integration on preschool students’ emotional expression and emotional regulation.


Effects of a school-based instrumental music program on verbal and visual memory in primary school children: A longitudinal study

Roden, I., Kreutz, G., & Bongard, S. | 2012

This study measured the effects of school based instrumental instruction on primary school children in Germany.


Enhancing empathy and theory of mind

Goldstein, T. R., & Winner, E. | 2012

This quasi-experimental study assessed the levels of theory of mind (understanding others’ various mental states) and empathy (matching the emotional state of another) in students who took acting classes versus art or music classes.


Academic Music: Music instruction to engage third grade students in learning basic fraction concepts

Courey, S., Balogh, E., Siker, J., Paik, J | 2012

This study examines the effects of an academic music intervention on conceptual understanding of music notation, fraction symbols, fraction size, and equivalency of third-graders from a multicultural, mixed socio-economic public school setting.


Singing one’s way to self-regulation: The role of early music and movement curricula and private speech

Winsler, A., Ducenne, L., & Koury, A. | 2011

Investigators studied the effects of music classes on a child’s self regulation through private speech.


When achievement data meet drama and arts integration

Walker, E., Tabone, C. & Weltsek, G. | 2011

The Education Arts Team (EAT), a non-profit, in New Jersey received a grant from the U.


Contribution of drama-based strategies

Walker, E., Bosworth McFadden, L., Tabone, C., Finkelstein, M. | 2011

Building on a stream of educational research that has focused on the impact of the arts on performance in non-arts academic subjects, this three year longitudinal study investigated the impact of integrating theatre arts into the language arts and social studies curricula on fourth- and fifth-grade students’ cognitive, procognitive, and prosocial development through the Theatre Infusion project.


Short-term music training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function.

Moreno, S., Bialystok, E., Barac, R., Schellenberg, E. G., Cepeda, N. J. & Chau, T. | 2011

This study examines the effects of two interactive computerized training programs developed for preschool children, one teaching music (focused on music listening activities) and the other visual art.


Correlations among social-cognitive skills in adolescents involved in acting or arts classes

Goldstein, T. R. | 2011

This quasi-experimental study measured correlations between the development of empathy, theory of mind (“an everyday understanding of what someone else is thinking or feeling” (p.


Music lessons and intelligence: A relation mediated by executive functions

Degé, F., Kubicek, C., & Schwarzer, G. | 2011

Noting several studies that have previously identified a positive association between musical instruction and intelligence, researchers in this study examine whether the relationship between musical study and intelligence may be mediated or influenced by a third variable, executive function—including abilities such as planning, focus, memory, task switching, and problem solving that control cognitive processes.


Promising Findings on Preschoolers’ Emergent Literacy and School Readiness in Arts-Integrated Early Childhood Settings

Phillips, R.D., Gorton, R.L., Pinciotti, P., & Sachdev, A. | 2010

This quasi-experimental study examines the implementation of a performing and visual arts integrated arts professional development model (Art as a Way of Learning – AWL) within an integrated arts program (Promoting and Supporting Early Literacy through the Arts – PASELA) designed to improve literacy in three community-based early childhood education (ECE) settings.


Educational research: The art of problem solving.

Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. | 2010

This study is an evaluation of the Solomon R.


Arts enrichment and school readiness for children at risk.

Brown, E. D., Benedett, B, & Armistad, M. E. | 2010

Arts enrichment programs provide varied channels for acquiring school readiness skills, especially for children at risk.


Effects of a preschool music and movement curriculum on children’s language skills

Noreen Yazeijian, Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg | 2009

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effects of a supplementary music and movement curriculum on children’s language skills in a Head Start preschool classroom.


The effect of piano lessons on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills of primary grade students.

Joseph M. Piro and Camilo Ortiz | 2009

The researchers used a quasi-experimental research design to investigate if students who received in-school keyboard lessons as part of a sequential music program would demonstrate greater gains on measures of vocabulary and verbal sequencing than students who did not receive keyboard instruction.


Looking is not seeing: Using art to improve observational skills

Pellico, L., Friedlaender, L., & Fennie, K. P. | 2009

This quasi-experimental study examines the effects of an art museum experience on the observational and diagnostic skills of nursing students.


An experimental study of the effects of improvisation on the development of children’s creative thinking in music

Koutsoupidou, T., & Hargreaves, D. J. | 2009

Researchers used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of improvisation on the development of children’s creative thinking in music.


Enhancing fluent and flexible thinking through the creative drama process

Sema Karakelle | 2009

This study uses two sub-parts of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (1974), to measure flexibility and fluency, key elements of divergent thinking, in relation to creative drama instruction.


Musical training shapes structural brain development

Hyde, K. L., Lerch, J., Norton, A., Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Evans, A. C., & Schlaug, G. | 2009

This study investigates whether instrumental music training leads to brain and behavioral changes.


Theatre for a young audience: how can we better prepare kindergartners for the experience?

Aram, D., & Mor, S. | 2009

This study considers whether the traditional story comprehension or the theatre semiotics approach is a more effective means of preparing young children to experience and understand a theatrical performance.


Effects of music instruction on developing cognitive systems at the foundations of mathematics and science

Spelke, E. | 2008

In this study, the researcher conducted three experiments that examined the relationship between the cognitive systems involved in music and those involved in math and science abilities in children.


Arts education, the brain, and language (2)

Petitto, L. | 2008

This study examines the impact of intensive arts education on the human brain.


Formal art observation training improves medical students’ visual diagnostic skills

Naghshineh, S., Hafler, J.P., Miller, A.R., Blanco, M.A., Lipsitz, S.R., Dubroff, R.P., … Katz, J.T. | 2008

This quasi-experimental study examines the effect of visual arts training on the physical examination skills of a group of medical students.


A study of readers theater in eighth grade: Issues of fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary

Keehn, S., Harmon, J., & Shoho, A. | 2008

Researchers examined the effects of Readers Theater (performance reading) on the reading achievement and motivation of struggling eight grade students in a low socioeconomic neighborhood in a large metropolitan area in south Texas.


Arts education, the brain, and language

Dunbar, K. N. | 2008

This study uses neuroscientific methods to examine whether there are cognitive differences between performing arts and non-performing arts students and among students studying different performing arts, in particular between music students and theater students.


Arts in the Classroom Professional Development Program:Final Evaluation Report

Powell, D. | 2007

This study is an evaluation of The Arts in the Classroom Program which engaged 91 Kindergarten through sixth grade classroom teachers from a single school district in order to build their capacity to deliver standards-based interdisciplinary arts instruction to their students.


Teaching literacy through art.

Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. | 2007

This study is an evaluation of the outcome—for students, teachers and teaching artists—of participation in the Solomon Guggenheim Museum’s Learning Through the Arts (LTA) program, a teaching artist residency program implemented in New York City during the 2004-2006 school years.


Differences in mathematics scores between students who receive traditional Montessori instruction and students who receive music enriched Montessori instruction

Maureen Harris | 2007

This experimental study was designed to determine whether mathematics achievement varies between students who receive traditional Montessori instruction and students who receive music-enhanced Montessori instruction.


The predictive relationship between achievement and participation in music and achievement in core grade 12 academic subjects

Gouzouasis P., Guhn, M., & Kishor, N. | 2007

This study examines the extent to which academic achievement of grade 12 students is related to achievement and participation in music, including concert choir, jazz choir, concert band, orchestral, and jazz band.


Learning in the visual arts and the worldviews of young children

Catterall, J., & Peppler, K. | 2007

Researchers used a quasi-experimental research design with pre-and post-test measures and treatment and control groups to investigate the effects of rich and sustained arts instruction on participating inner-city children’s self-efficacy (their sense of control of their surroundings) and creative thinking.


Enhancing peer conflict resolution skills through drama: An experimental study.

James S. Catterall | 2007

This quasi-experimental study considers the effects of drama instruction on pro-social behavior, learning processes, and attitudes toward drama for middle school children participating in an after-school drama program.


The role of drama on cultural sensitivity, motivation and literacy in a second language context.

Bournot-Trites, M., Belliveau, G., Spiliotopoulos, V., & Séror, J. | 2007

This study examines the relationship between learning through drama and student cultural sensitivity, motivation, and literacy skills in a French immersion classroom.


Thinking Through Art: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum School Partnership Program year 3 research results

Adams, M., Foutz, S., Luke, J. & Stein, J. | 2007

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and an outside evaluation company, ILI, conducted research on the Gardner’s School Partnership Program (SPP), a multiple-visit museum education program for elementary school students.


Community-based arts program for youth in low-income communities: A multi-method evaluation

Wright, R., John, L., Alaggia, R., & Sheel, J. | 2006

The article presents findings from a quasi-experimental evaluation of the National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project (NAYDP).


Worlds together… words apart: An assessment of the effectiveness of arts-based curriculum for second language learners

Stephanie Urso Spina | 2006

The researcher used a quasi-experimental design to assess whether an arts-based curricula facilitates English language acquisition for English language learners (ELL) and whether the gain in English language skills sacrificed proficiency in Spanish, the study subjects’ first language.


Whole brain learning: The fine arts with students at risk

Respress, T., & Lutfi, G. | 2006

Researchers used a quasi-experimental research design to examine the impact of arts education on students involved in the after-school program HEARTS (Health Education in the Arts Refining Talented Students).


What studies of actors and acting can tell us about memory and cognitive functioning.

Noice, H. & Noice T. | 2006

The researchers reviewed 100 protocols of actors’ descriptions of their processes for performing a task and analyzed relevant studies to learn about actors’ script-acquisition strategies.


The effects of a creative dance and movement program on the social competence of head start preschoolers.

Lobo, Y. B., & Winsler, A. | 2006

This study assesses the effects of a creative dance/movement program on the social competence of preschool children.


Evaluation of a theater-based youth violence prevention program for elementary school children

Kisiel, C., Blaustein, M., Spinazzola, J., Schmidt, C. S., Zucker, M., & van der Kolk, B. | 2006

The researchers used a quasi-experimental research design to investigate the effectiveness of Urban Improv, a 27-week interactive drama-based youth violence prevention program.


Drama education: A touch of the creative mind and communicative-expressive ability of elementary school children in Hong Kong

Hui, A., & Lau, S. | 2006

Researchers used an experimental approach to examine the effect of drama education on creativity and storytelling abilities of first and fourth grade school children in Hong Kong.


Learning through the Arts: Lessons of Engagement

Katharine Smithrim and Rena Upitis | 2005

The Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) program aims to revitalize elementary education by increasing engagement of students through arts integrated curricula developed by professional teaching artists in collaboration with classroom teachers.


Effects of music training on the child’s brain and cognitive development

Schlaugh, G., Norton, A., Overy, K., & Winner, E. | 2005

Researchers provide preliminary results of a longitudinal study comparing 50 students taking music lessons and 25 students not taking music lessons to investigate if there are any differences in brain structure, function and/or cognitive skills in children who are beginning to study a musical instrument compared to the students who are not taking music lessons.


The effects of the arts IMPACT curriculum upon student performance on the Ohio fourth-grade proficiency test

Kinney, D. W. & Forsythe, J. L. | 2005

This study examines the impact of a comprehensive arts curriculum (Arts IMPACT) on students’ scores on the Ohio Fourth-Grade Proficiency Test.


Thinking Through Art: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum School Partnership Program Year 2 Report

Adams, M., Luke, J., Herzig, A., Barlage, J. & Stein, J. | 2005

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and an outside evaluation company, ILI, conducted research on the Gardner’s multiple-visit program for elementary school students, the Museum’s School Partnership Program (SPP).


Music lessons enhance IQ

Schellenberg, E.G. | 2004

This study is the first to directly test the hypothesis that music training transfers to cognitive intelligence.


The artistic and professional development of teachers: A study of teachers’ attitudes toward and use of the arts in teaching

Barry Oreck | 2004

In this mixed methods study of 423 K-12 teachers from diverse school settings, the researcher gauges teachers’ attitudes about arts practices in their teaching who have had access to arts-based professional development.


Assessment of High School Students’ Creative Thinking Skills: a comparison of dance and nondance classes

Sandra Minton | 2003

This study compared the creative thinking abilities of students taking dance class in high school to non-dance students.


Basic reading through dance program: The impact on first-grade students’ basic reading skills.

McMahon, S., Rose, D., & Parks, M. | 2003

Researchers developed a quasi-experimental research design to evaluate the impact of a dance-integrated reading program on first-grade students’ beginning reading skills, such as code knowledge (alphabet sounds) and phoneme segmentation (separating letter sounds from spoken words).


Arts for Academic Achievement: What does arts integration do for students?

Ingram, D., & Riedel, E., | 2003

This report examines the relationship between arts-integrated instruction and student achievement.


Music Training Improves Verbal but Not Visual Memory: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Explorations in Children

Ho, Y., Cheung, M., & Chan, A. S. & Chang. | 2003

The purpose of this research was to find if music training is related to improved verbal memory in children.


Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children.

Sima H. Anvari, Laurel J. Trainor, Jennifer Woodside, and Betty Ann Levy | 2002

This study examined the relationship between phonological awareness, music perception skills, and early reading skills in a population of 100 four and five year-old children.


Exploring the potential of museum multiple-visit programs

Witmer, S., Luke, J. & Adams, M. | 2000

This study examines the impact for middle school students of the National Gallery of Art’s Art Around the Corner program, an educational program in which students make multiple visits to the museum.


Mute those claims: No evidence (yet) for a causal link between arts study and academic achievement

Winner, E., & Cooper, M. | 2000

The purpose of this study was to quantify the results of existing research (from the period of 1950 to 1998) testing the claim that the study of the arts is associated with improved academic achievement.


Music and mathematics: Modest support for the oft-claimed relationship

Vaughn, K. | 2000

The author conducted three meta-analyses to investigate the effects of music instruction/exposure on improvements in mathematics.


Imagery-based learning: Improving elementary students’ reading comprehension with drama techniques

Rose, D. S., Parks, M., Androes, K., & McMahon, S.D. | 2000

This study examines the relationship between drama-based reading instruction and reading comprehension among fourth-grade students.


Classroom keyboard instruction improves kindergarten children’s spatial-temporal performance: a field experiment

Rauscher, F. & Zupan, M. | 2000

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of classroom music instruction featuring the keyboard on the spatial-temporal reasoning of kindergarten children.


An investigation of an arts infusion program on creative thinking, academic achievement, affective functioning, and arts appreciation of children at three grade levels.

Richard L. Luftig | 2000

The researcher used a quasi-experimental research design to discern the effects of a school-wide arts infusion program called SPECTRA+.


Teaching cognitive skill through dance: Evidence for near but not far transfer

Keinanen, M., Hetland, L., & Winner, E. | 2000

Two very small meta-analyses were conducted to test the assertion that dance instruction leads to improvements in reading and nonverbal reasoning.


Listening to music enhances spatial-temporal reasoning: Evidence for the “Mozart-Effect.”

Hetland, L. | 2000

This study examines whether listening to music temporarily enhances performance on spatial tasks—a phenomenon known as the “Mozart effect.


Can music be used to teach reading?

Butzlaff, R. | 2000

This study tests the hypothesis that instruction in music improves performance in reading.


Learning in and through the arts: The question of transfer.

Burton, J. M., Horowitz, R. & Abeles, H. | 2000

The study investigates whether transfer occurs such that learning in the arts affects learning in non-art subjects and if there are effects, what they are, how they occur, and what circumstances within schools influence the realization of such effects.


Instruction in visual art: Can it help children learn to read?

Burger, K., & Winner, E. | 2000

This study examines the relationship between learning in the visual arts and students’ reading ability.


Investigating the educational impact and potential of the Museum of Modern Art’s Visual Thinking Curriculum: Final report

Tishman, S., MacGillivray, D., & Palmer, P. | 1999

This study examines student outcomes associated with the Visual Thinking Curriculum (VTC), a program designed to foster students’ thinking skills through looking at and discussing visual art.


Enhanced Learning of Proportional Math Through Music Training and Spatial-Temporal Training

Graziano, A. B., Peterson, M. & Shaw, G. L. | 1999

Researchers tested the impact of a math video game on students’ understanding of the spatial basis of fractions and ratios.


The effects of three years of piano instruction on children’s cognitive development

Eugenia Costa-Giomi | 1999

This experimental longitudinal study investigates the effect of music instruction on the cognitive development of young children ages 9-12.


The Effect of Early Music Training on Child Cognitive Development

Terry D. Bilhartz, Rick A. Bruhn, and Judith E. Olson | 1999

The researchers conducted an experimental study to determine the relationship between the structured early childhood music curriculum, Kindermusik, and cognitive development.


The effects of creative dance instruction on creative and critical thinking of 7th grade female students in Seoul, Korea

Kim, J. | 1998

This study examines the effect of creative dance instruction on seventh grade girls’ creative and critical thinking skills.


The effects of musical performance, rational emotive therapy and vicarious experience on the self-efficacy and self-esteem of juvenile delinquents and disadvantage children.

Kennedy, R. | 1998

The investigator conducted a study to assess the effect of music performance on disadvantaged and delinquent teenagers on their musical self-efficacy and self-esteem.


Living the arts through language-learning: A report on community-based youth organizations

Heath, S. B., Soep, E., & Roach A. | 1998

A team of researchers conducted fieldwork in a sample of communities to better understand the arts programs operated by community organizations and their impact on participants.


Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children’s spatial-temporal reasoning.

Francis H. Rauscher, Gordon L. Shaw, Linda J. Levine, Eric L. Wright, Wendy R. Dennis, and Robert L. Newcomb | 1997

This study examined whether music training improves preschool children’s spatial-temporal reasoning and spatial recognition abilities.


The arts, language, and knowing: An experimental study of the potential of the visual arts for assessing academic learning by language minority students

DeJarnette, K. G. | 1997

The researcher randomly assigned sixth-graders to two groups studying Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt.


Effects on an integrated reading and music instructional approach on fifth-grade students’ reading achievement, reading attitude, music achievement, and music attitude.

Andrews, L.J. | 1997

The researcher conducted a study to determine if integrated reading and music instruction had an effect on students’ reading and music achievement and on their attitudes toward reading and music.


A meta-analysis on the effects of music as reinforcement for education/therapy objectives

Standley, J.M. | 1996

The purpose of the study meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of music as a reward (or removal of music as a punishment) in education and therapy settings.


The Effect of the Incorporation of Music Learning into the Second-Language Classroom on the Mutual Reinforcement of Music and Language

Lowe, A.S. | 1995

This study examines the effect of a music program integrated into Canadian second grade French immersion classes on music and second language learning.


The effects of creative drama on the social and oral language skills of children with learning disabilities.

De la Cruz, R. E. | 1995

The study investigated whether students with disabilities involved in a creative drama program improved social skills, oral expressiveness, and receptive language skills compared to a group of students who were not involved in the program.


Drama and drawing for narrative writing in primary grades

Moore, B. & Caldwell, H. | 1993

This study compared the effects of two types of writing planning activities, drama and drawing, against a traditional writing planning activity, discussion, on the quality of narrative writing from 63 primary grade students.


“You can’t be grandma; you’re a boy”: Events within the thematic fantasy play context that contribute to story comprehension

Williamson, P. A. & Silvern, S. B. | 1992

This study examines how kindergarten students’ behavior during dramatic reenactments of stories affects their story comprehension.


Attention and perseverance behaviors of preschool children enrolled in Suzuki violin lessons and other activities

Scott, L. | 1992

This study examines the effects of Suzuki violin lessons on preschool children’s development of attention and persevering behaviors, behaviors that increase students’ capacity to learn and rate of learning.


The effectiveness of creative drama as an instructional strategy to enhance the reading comprehension skills of fifth-grade remedial readers

Dupont, S. | 1992

This study measured the growth of reading comprehension skills of 51 remedial fifth-grade students after exposure to a treatment of creative drama integrated with children’s literature reading material over a six-week period.


The Effects of Role Playing on Written Persuasion: An Age and Channel Comparison of 4th and 8th Graders

Wagner, B.J. | 1986

This study examines the effect of role playing on persuasive letters written by forth and eighth grade students.


Identifying causal elements in thematic-fantasy play paradigm

Pellegrini, A. | 1984

This study examines the effect of adult-directed and peer-directed thematic play on both immediate and sustained recall.


A poetic/dramatic approach to facilitate oral communication

Kassab, L. J. | 1984

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a poetry/drama workshop on high school students’ oral communication skills.


Children’s story comprehension as a result of storytelling and story dramatization: A study of the child as spectator and as participant

Page, A. | 1983

This study examined the effects of storytelling (listening to a story being read) and story dramatization (enactment of the story) on story comprehension of first, second, and third grade students.


Relationship between creative behavior in music and selected variables as measured in high school students

Webster, P. R. | 1979

This study is concerned with measurement of music creativity, specifically the subcategories of music composition, music analysis, and music improvisation ability.


Role of imaginative play in cognitive development

Fink, R. S. | 1976

This study addresses the potential roles of imaginative play (or creative role-playing) on two foundational cognitive abilities of children initially identified by pioneering developmental psychologist and educational theorist Jean Piaget— “conservation” and “perspectivism.


The effectiveness of creative dramatics and storytelling in a library setting.

Anthony, A., Emans, E., & Ziegler, E. | 1973

This study examines the impact of library-based creative dramatics and storytelling programs on children’s interest in books, confidence in expressing ideas, self-image, and ability to empathize.