Why Band Matters

Band is more than a class — it’s a creative community. Every day, our students come together to explore new musical styles, grow their talents, and make something meaningful.

Continuing band in high school builds on the skills you’ve already developed and surrounds you with others who value music like you do. Along the way, students also discover how they learn best and develop confidence through performance and collaboration.

Explore More:

• Why, at many schools, band is the best extra-curricular activity →

• Keep Band in Your Life →

• Why Band is Important →

Band offers unforgettable experiences outside the classroom — from spring trips to performances at major universities like JMU, George Mason, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, UVA, and Delaware.

It’s also where many students build lasting friendships and find support. Upperclassmen mentor younger students, and the band room becomes a safe and welcoming space — the heart of the “band family."

Watch & Learn:

• Fran Kick: Fun, Good, and Work →

• Jack Stamp: Why Music Matters ("Is 95% really an A?") →

🎓 College Admissions

College admissions officers consistently highlight music participation as a valuable factor in applications. It demonstrates creativity, time management, expression, and open-mindedness. — "Arts May Improve Students’ Grades" , Carl Hartman, Associated Press, 1999

Princeton Dean on High School Activities →

The Role of Extracurriculars in College Admissions →

🏛️ U.S. Department of Education

“Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them.” — Getting Ready for College Early, U.S. Department of Education, 1997

The Department encourages music and arts participation as essential to students' intellectual and social development.

💼 Business & Career Skills
The nation’s top business executives agree that arts education programs can help repair weaknesses in American education and better prepare workers for the 21st Century. — The Changing Workplace is Changing Our View of education, Business Week, October 1996

🧠 Cognitive Growth
A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reports that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children’s abstract reasoning skills necessary for learning math and science. — Frances Rauscher and Gordon Shaw, Neurological Research, University of California at Irvine, February, 1997

📊 Standardized Test Success
When researchers analyzed the NELS:88 database of the U.S. Department of Education, which tracked 25,000 students over a ten-year period, they discovered that students who were involved in music scored higher on standardized tests than students not taking music courses. This finding was consistent for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. — James Catterall, UCLA, 1997

💡 Creative Thinkers in Tech
A majority of the engineers and technical designers in Silicon Valley are also practicing musicians. — The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of Public Schools, Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum