In Retrospect: The Nonmusical Outcomes of Music Education: A Review of the Literature

An article that originally appeared in Bulletin Number 55, Summer 1978, is presented. An evaluative review of the literature examining the ancillary effects of music instruction is offered. Two categories - music education and cognitive learning and music education as a factor in social and emotional growth - are highlighted. The weight of evidence gleaned from the research leads one to believe that there may be measurable effects of music education on the development of cognitive skills and understanding. The results of the studies concerned with social and emotional learning are less clear-cut.