Robert Horowitz, an adjunct professor of music education at Teachers College, conducted a study for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra that indicates that students and teachers benefit from incorporating the arts into the classrooom. The study focused on the Indianopolis Symphony Orchestra School Partnership Program. The three year old program operates in five schools in Marion County, Indiana. The Orchestra collaborates with Partnership schools to give teachers lesson objectives, music and arts concepts, teaching strategies, connections to the curriculum, resource materials, and professional development sessions. Teachers who participated in the study reported gains in reading, writing, vocabulary skills, mathematics and social studies as arts were integrated into the curriculum.

"Our findings indicate that those teachers who most successfully participate in the program also have students who are perceived to have the greatest musical, academic and general growth. ... In order for teachers to be successful at this, they must have sufficient professional development to support their understanding of the arts, their confidence at using classroom techniques in arts integration, and adequate resources and support," Prof. Horowitz said.

The article, entitled "Indiana: Study Finds Students Excel Through Arts Partnership" appeared in the April 17th edition of the CNNMoney.

Published Monday, Apr. 21, 2003