The Relationship Between Instrumental Music Instruction and Reading Achievement in Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Students

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2014-07

Department

Program

Masters of Education

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare reading performance among third, fourth, and fifth grade students who participated in instrumental music instruction with performance of those who did not participate in instrumental music instruction. The measurement tool for reading performance was the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment, 2nd edition. This study used a pretest/posttest design to compare reading level data from October 2013 to reading level data from May 2014 for students participating or not participating in instrumental music instruction. Students participating in band and strings performed significantly better than those who did not, though results could be attributable to a number of factors. Research in the area of music instruction’s benefits to reading performance should continue to better determine the amount and type of instruction that is most useful as well as the specific ways in which music can improve student performance.