Music Together is a research-based program which seeks to continually evaluate the impact of its classes and programs. Most recently, director Jackie Jacobs’ Music Together Preschool program in Bridgeport CT was evaluated as part of a government-funded research study.
During the 2007–2008 academic year, evaluations were conducted in ten Music Together Preschool classes which were held in Head Start preschools managed by the Agency for Bridgeport Community Development (ABCD). The study evaluated the impact of arts education—including Music Together Preschool—as a way to bridge the achievement gap. The preliminary results from this study affirm that children in Music Together Preschool classes made “statistically significant gains on the Head Start Creative Curriculum Assessment in the domains of Cognitive Change and Language Development.” These findings suggest what many Music Together parents, teachers, and administrators already believe—that music learning supports all learning.
While it is wonderful to have a confirmation of the value of Music Together Preschool in this particular assessment, the real benefits are less tangible.
“Through doing this work, my appreciation and understanding of the value of Music Together has deepened immeasurably,” says Jackie.
“I see and hear children singing, making up verses, excited and engaged, being allowed to move around the classroom….I see teachers singing more when they want to focus or transition their class. The evidence is obvious, even without the scientific data that supports what we see. That data does not begin to measure all that is going on with these children.”
