The Brain and the Arts
Sousa Ch. 6
“We have never discovered a culture on this planet-past or
present-that doesn’t have music, art and dance (Sousa p.
214).”
Why teach the arts?
•Learning songs, rhymes, drawing and painting can help
enhance cognitive development.
•Dancing and playing can help develop gross motor skills.
Impact/Research of the Arts in Schools
SAT Scores
•Higher Math, Verbal and composite SAT Scores
•More art classes taken, higher scores became
•4 + years of art correlated with higher SAT scores
Disaffected Students
•Many students that are not academically inclined stay in school
because of their interests in arts courses.
Different Learning Styles
•Students bored with typical teaching styles may find outlets in the
arts that allow expression of pent up feelings creating better self
concept and help with classroom disposition.
Personal and Interpersonal Connections
•Forces a deeper connection with feelings and emotions
•Allows creativity, positive attitudes and academic self-concept
Impact/Research of the Arts in Schools
(cont.)
School and Classroom Climate
•Can improve culture of the school
•Can integrate subject areas
•Can make the school a more aesthetically pleasing place to
work and learn
Gifted and Talented Students
•Provides a challenge for students that are labeled gifted due to
academic success in core content areas.
Working World
•Challenges people to think outside of the box and come up with
new and innovative ideas necessary in the business world.
Music
Listening vs. Creating
Listening
•Both sides of the brain respond to music, but the right has areas
specifically devoted to music
•Cochlea
(inner ear)
auditory cortex
(pitch, melody,harmony)
frontal lobe
(emotions/past experiences)
Music
Listening (cont.)
•Therapeutic Benefits
•Reported effects:
•Relieve stress, help with pain, boost immunity of children
•Research
•Influence blood pressure, pulse and muscle activity
•Strengthen brain cell an cortex connections (rehabilitation)
•Educational Benefits
•Stimulates recall sections and visual imagery parts of the brain.
•Creates more efficient workers
•Mozart Effect – Is it True???
•Mozart sonata – activated auditory and frontal cortex
•Helps with spatial and temporal reasoning (sequencing
mental images and reassembling objects)
Music
Creating Music
•Auditory Cortex, motor cortex, cerebellum and corpus callosum are
larger in musicians.
•Benefits
•Studies
•music increase in spatial temporal reasoning – Primarily in
non-electronic instruments
•Increase verbal memory skills (Broca and Wernicke’s areas)
even after dropping out of music classes.
•Increase in standardized test scores
•Increased self-esteem, discipline and parental involvement
Music
Creating Music
•Music and Math relations
•Patterns
Counting
Proportions
Fractions
Geometry
Sequencing
Ratios
•Activate same parts of the brain when creating music and math
processing
•Music and Reading relations
•Strong relationship between music and reading scores
•Both need decoding and comprehension skills
•Assists phonological awareness and reading development
Visual Arts
•Imaging vs. Imagining
•Imagery is a survival skill
•Creating mental images can be taught and help with retention and
Learning
•Electronics diminish the ability to practice imagery skills
•Sports Imagery can enhance performance
•Visual imagery can also be related to creativity
Movement
•Old Version vs. New Version
Old – Cerebellum only involves movement
New – Cerebellum involves movement and supports limbic
system (impulse control and attention), cognitive
function, long-term memory and spatial perception
•Physical Exercise
•Assists blood movement and oxygen in the blood
•Increase brain function and learning
•Implications
•Kids need to move more, especially in secondary schools
•Increase cognitive functions
•Get out energy
•Get attention and keep interest
Research Article 1
The Impact of the Arts on Learning
•1st Study– More broad stud of 2500 students comparing low SES
students to higher SES students to see impact of arts classes
Dr. Catrell – UCLA
 Arts than music and theater in grades 8-12
 Results
 Low SES showed significant increases
 Instrumental music and math relationship
 Low SES scored higher than non music Low SES and
average students
 Can’t say this causes improvements, but there is a reason
to suspect that it helps
 “children are more engaged and cognitively involved in
schools when arts are integrated into curriculum”
Research Article 1
The Impact of the Arts on Learning
•2nd Study - Chicago Arts Partnership in Education (CAPE)
Dr. Catrell - UCLA
Professional local artists help plan lessons in core content to
include arts in 37 schools
Results
6th grade Math and Reading scores came out higher than
other schools with same economic and structural backgrounds
 9th graders achieved a full grade level of proficiency above
non CAPE schools
 Enrichment program, not substitute for regular arts program
 Can’t replace core content with the arts and can’t replace
normal arts classes just by integrating into core subjects as this
program does.
Research Article 1
The Impact of the Arts on Learning
•3rd Study - Learning in and Through the Arts
Columbia University
 Basic intellectual processes, personal attributes that are
foundations to cognitive development and result in enhanced
test scores
 Arts effect on teachers and student interactions
 Standardized, creative thinking, self concept and school
atmosphere tests and tests on the teacher view of the students
 Results
Benefits in all areas (thinking abilities, approaches to
problems, attitudes toward learning, perception of
themselves, school climates, teacher involvement in all
subjects with significant finding in Low SES students not
higher SES students)
Research Article 2
Learning in and Through the Arts:
The Question of Transfer
•Pre-Study Information
More effect of arts on other subjects than other subjects on art
Contents share core elements necessary for learning and
achieving
 Improvements in everything from creativity to critical
thinking and elaborate and express ideas
Cross discipline learning is most effective in transfer
Outside artists help create more excitement
Relieve social issues such as prejudices in students
Teachers are more of expertise do to excitement in work and new
insights on students
•Remaining Questions
Researchers give incomplete pictures of effects, how they
occur and circumstances in schools
Questions of transfer and direct relationship
Research Article 2
Learning in and Through the Arts:
The Question of Transfer
•Purpose of the Study
•Determine cognitive skills developed by art
•Assuming relationship between arts and core content based on
transfer due to interactive relationship between the areas
•Examine relationship with social issues and everyday
occurrences
•12 diff types of schools with over 200 students
Research Article 2
Learning in and Through the Arts:
The Question of Transfer
•
Phases 1 and 2 – Choosing Schools

Reviewed methods of teaching, arts programs, and potential
positive effects

28 schools observed and interviewed

Invited 18 schools to participate that varied in:
1. Forms of art taught
2. Teaching approaches
3. Who taught art (outside pros or inside art teachers)
4. Whether integrated or focused separately
5. Art rich and art poor schools
Research Article 2
Learning in and Through the Arts:
The Question of Transfer
•Phase 4 and 5 - Quantitative Analysis
Created tests to measure potential areas of achievement with
the arts
Realized a lot of things may not be measurable by
quantitative tests
 Students
•Creativity tests
•Self concept test
•Questionnaire of arts experience
Teachers
•Rating scale of their perception of students improvements
•Index of school climate
•Arts teaching and learning inventory questionnaire
Research Article 2
Learning in and Through the Arts:
The Question of Transfer
•Phase 5 – Qualitative Analysis
Only looked at existing programs and did not introduce new
programs
Interviews and observation transcripts
•Phase 6 – Results
Arts rich schools and students had much higher scores in all areas
Shows relationship between arts and other disciplines