NJSM Music Education Facts #5

Did You Know?
High school music students score higher on SATs in both verbal and math than their peers. In 2001, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 41 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework/experience in the arts.

Source: Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators National Conference, 2001.

Did You Know?

College-age musicians are emotionally healthier than their non-musician counterparts. A study conducted at the University of Texas looked at 362 students who were in their first semester of college. They were given three tests, measuring performance anxiety, emotional concerns and alcohol related problems. In addition to having fewer battles with the bottle, researchers also noted that the college-aged music students seemed to have surer footing when facing tests.

Source: Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998

NJ School of Music 1200 Haddonfield Rd. CherryHill  856.910.0060

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Photos: Health club lays down turf, plans for speed school

The Cherry Hill Health & Racquet Club recently finished converting one of its tennis courts into what will become a Parisi Speed School.

The approximately 7,800 square foot space has a turf area that replicates a football field with yard markers and there are four lanes of straight track for sprinting.

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Video: High school’s Wing Bowl

Cherry Hill High School Eat held a Wing Bowl in February to raise money for Haitian relief efforts.

The school also welcomed guest Bill "El Wingador" Simmons to the event.

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Catholic schools work to boost enrollment

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While the region's public school districts struggle with cuts in state aid that could affect programs and property taxes, the Camden Diocese has been changing how its schools operate to retain current students and attract new ones despite a bleak economy.

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Photo gallery: Fusion School performs ‘Little Shop’

Who can forget a musical starring a giant, murderous houseplant?

Fusion School will perform the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" at 7 p.m. on March 5-7 and 12-13, and there will be a 2 p.m. matinee on March 14.

"It's a great cast that's worked really well together," said Fusion's executive director Carla Mandell. "They've all become one little family and been able to relate well in the show."

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Schools for all stages

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Need to find a creative outlet for your budding performer? It could be as nearby as a South Jersey theater school.

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Pupils fulfill a need to read

Theodor Seuss Geisel -- better known as Dr. Seuss -- would have turned 106 today. South Jersey schools, libraries and municipalities are celebrating the day prompted by the prolific author -- he had penned more than 60 whimsical books before his death at 87 -- to rediscover the wonder and magic of reading.

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Kids become digital authors

Julia McCauley has found an outlet for some of the imaginative stories her son Michael, 7, has concocted.

The first-grade student from Van Sciver Elementary School and his mother, residents of the West Collingswood Extension section of Haddon Township, attended the school's recent book fair and fundraiser at Barnes and Noble in Cherry Hill.

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High school choirs featured in TV special

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Thirteen high school choirs from across New Jersey will be shown performing with Tim Janis and his ensemble in a new NJN special called Celebrate America, airing Tuesday at 8 p.m.

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Snow days throw school calendars out of whack

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By Barbara S. Rothschild, Courier-Post Staff

Snow days that create havoc for motorists, homeowners, workers and businesses also have the potential to turn school calendars into slippery slopes.

Most school districts plan ahead for makeup days when their school boards OK the following year's calendar, usually during the previous winter. But if snow days stretch beyond the usual one, two or even three days, it can throw school officials, parents and students into a limbo-land where the last day of school is uncertain, spring and summer vacation plans may be affected and even summer jobs could be in jeopardy.

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School districts tackle truancy

Camden schools are not alone in fighting a battle to encourage students to attend school.

In Cherry Hill, the focus is to create a positive learning environment where students want to go to school. Often, the reason students don't want to go to school has much to do with small issues that can be handled. The district filed only two complaints with the court system last year and, so far, just one this year, said Don Bart, district's director of support operations.

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Schools walk fiscal tightrope

Faye Murman/Courier-Post

Find a way to make do.

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Ex-Flyers teach school kids about values

Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post

Two former Philadelphia Flyers gave some local students a hockey lesson Tuesday and also taught them about the value of teamwork, education, good attitude and motivation.

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Cherry Hill district to discuss budget

The school board will meet tonight to discuss a projected budget gap for the next fiscal year.

The budget meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the all-purpose room of the Malberg Administration Building.

District officials have said a spending freeze announced last week by Gov. Chris Christie will have "a huge impact" on the upcoming budget.

The district will lose about $3.9 million in state aid for the current year due to the freeze. The lost aid will be offset with district funds that had been reserved for the 2010-11 budget, local officials said.

via Cherry Hill district to discuss budget | courierpostonline.com | Courier-Post.

NJSM Music Education Facts: #4

Did You Know?

Research shows that piano students are better equipped to comprehend mathematical and scientific concepts. A group of preschoolers received private piano keyboard lessons and singing lessons. A second group received private computer lessons. Those children who received piano/keyboard training performed 34 percent higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the others ‹ even those who received computer training. “Spatial-temporal” is basically proportional reasoning – ratios, fractions, proportions and thinking in space and time. This concept has long been considered a major obstacle in the teaching of elementary math and science.

Source: Neurological Research February 28, 1997

New Jersey School of Music : NJSchoolofmusic.com 

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