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The Impact of Choral Singing on Children & Youth Presented by Catherine Davies ACDA Children’s Choir Conductors Retreat. The Chorus Impact Study:. How Children, Adults, and Communities Benefit from Choruses. Watch the You Tube video!. http://www.chorusamerica.org/impact09_CBS_video.cfm.
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The Impact of Choral Singing on Children & YouthPresented by Catherine DaviesACDA Children’s Choir Conductors Retreat
The Chorus Impact Study: How Children, Adults, and Communities Benefit from Choruses
Watch the You Tube video! http://www.chorusamerica.org/impact09_CBS_video.cfm
Methodology • Respected research firm • Online surveys of: • More than 2,000 singers in choruses of all kinds • 500 members of the general public • 500 parents • 300 K-12 educators from a variety of disciplines
Reasoning • Previous research on value of instrumental music education. • Choral singing has often been overlooked by researchers—this data fills that research gap.
Four primary findings • Far more people sing in choruses than participate in any other performing art. • People who sing in choruses demonstrate characteristics that make them remarkably good citizens. • Children who sing in choruses have academic success and valuable life skills. • Parents & educators report a troubling decline in choral singing opportunities for children.
Benefits for children who sing… • Children who sing in choruses demonstrate valuable life skills. • Parents and educators from every discipline attribute a significant part of academic success to singing in a choir.
Benefits for children who sing… • Parents date their child’s improvements in a variety of areas to their joining a choral group. • That, and the breadth of benefits described by both parents and educators, points to a unique ‘chorus effect,’ one that isn’t simply replicated by participation in other activities.
70% of parents said their child is more self-confident is more self-disciplined developed better memory skills Benefits for children who sing…
80% of educators and parents say that choir participation enhances numerous aspects of a child’s: academic success (including better grades) social development Benefits for children who sing…
90% of educators believe choir participation keeps some students engaged in school who might otherwise be lost. Benefits for children who sing…
Chart 6: Educators on Choir Participation and Student Success Skills
Chart 7: Educators on Student Choir Participation and Social Skills
Chart 8: Choir Participation and School, Community Participation Furthermore, 76% of educators say they can tell which students in their classes participate in choir.
The adults matter, too… • Educators tell us that schools where parental involvement is high are: • Significantly more likely to have music programs than schools where parental influence is low (96% v. 81%) • Significantly more likely to have choir programs than low parental influence schools (80% v. 60%) • Parents, educators & choral singers identify these priorities for training young singers: • Develop listening skills • Choose music that kids can relate to • Provide lots of positive individual & group feedback
Decline in choral singing opportunities for children… • More than one in four educators surveyed said there is no choral program in their schools. • More than one in five parents said that there were no choral singing opportunities for their children in their communities • 65% of adult choristers say they got their first choral experience in elementary or middle school, down from 69% in 2003.
Making the case for choral programs • Choral singing is an accessible entry point for arts exposure, with fewer barriers—economic, cultural, or educational. • More choral singing opportunities in schools and communities could be a good strategy for bolstering student achievement and engagement in schools. • Leveraging the benefits that choruses bring to children, adults, and communities is good for schools and society.
Tools AvailableChorus America’s 2009 Chorus Impact Study • Executive Summary for download • Top 10 Reasons to sing in a choir • Parents’ Guide • YouTube video & this PowerPoint For more information about how to use these resources, visit: www.chorusamerica.org.