Relationship Between Math and Music SAT Scores

I thought it would be interesting to find out if there was a relationship between math and music SAT scores and sure enough, there was. I went back as far as 1994, and this is what I found out:

"In 1994, SAT takers with course work in music performance scored 49 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 36 points higher on the math portion of the test than students with no course work or experience in the arts. Scores for those with course work in music appreciation were 59 points higher on the verbal portion and 42 points higher on the math portion. Longer arts study means even higher scores: In 1994, those who had studies the arts for more than four years scored 56 points higher on the verbal potion and 38 points higher on the math portion than students with no course work in the arts."

When I looked at more recent SAT scores, it was not surprising to see that students of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT, according to reports by the College Entrance Examination Board. "In 2005, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance scored 56 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 39 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework or experience in the arts. Scores for those with coursework in music appreciation were 60 points higher on the verbal and 39 points higher on the math portion. Data for these reports were gathered by the Student Descriptive Questionnaire, a self-reported component of the SAT that gathers information about students' academic preparation."

The evidence of how each subject compliments the other is just phenomenal. From these scores, you cannot ignore the significance of how one compliments the other.


Reference:

"Scores of Students in the Arts." MENC. 2005. The National Association for Music Education. 26 Mar 2007 .