Music training and the academic achievement of Hong Kong students

Abstract

Many Hong Kong Chinese parents believe that music training enhances the academic achievement of their children. The current study investigates the relationship between the extent and outcome of students’ music training, their perceptions of the value of the subjects they study and their academic achievement. A total of 286 students in Primary 4, 5 and 6 from one school in Hong Kong reported the extent and outcome of their music training, including the number of instruments they studied, the number of years spent training, highest grade and highest level achieved. For value, students completed a subscale of the Achievement Task Value Questionnaire to measure their liking and interest, perceived importance and usefulness of their school subjects. A nested structural equation model showed that, for both boys and girls, the extent and outcome of music training positively predicts academic achievement in Chinese, English and mathematics. Furthermore, the model shows that for both boys and girls, students’ perceived value of their school subjects negatively predicts academic achievement in Chinese, and age has a direct and negative effect on mathematics achievement. For girls, age positively moderates the extent and outcome of music training on academic achievement whereas the moderator effect of age on students’ perceived value of academic subjects is non-significant. For boys, in contrast, the moderator effect of age on extent and outcome of music training is non-significant, whereas its effect on students’ perceived value of academic subjects is negative. In broad terms, the results show that parents are justified in believing that music training is positively related to academic achievement. However, the results differ for boys and girls in connection to the role of age in this relationship.

Learner autonomy in music performance practices

“…School education emphasises a globalised music curriculum (Curriculum Development Council, 2017), which is also characterised by its meritocratic and highly competitive environment aligning with the free market approach of the city's economic development. Certified achievement in musical learning such as graded qualifications in public examinations and prizes in competitions have always been favoured by parents and schools (Ho, 2011), who thought that these achievements would add value to the students' academic profile for survival in the competitive learning environment of the traditional and authoritarian Chinese society (Tai, Philipson, & Philipson, 2018).…”

The Effects of Music on Adolescent People's Intellectual, Social, and Personal Development

“…The research's contradictory results may be explained by the kind of musical activities undertaken and the quantity of time spent on them. A study conducted by Tai et al (2018) looked at the possible effects of musical education on eighth graders' mathematical abilities. Scores were higher for individuals who had taken private lessons for two or more years and for those studying keyboard instruments as opposed to other instruments.…”

Does learning to play an instrument have an impact on change in attainment from age 11 to 16?

“…Much of that research, some of which is based on very large samples of thousands of students, has indicated that learning to play a musical instrument can have a positive impact on academic attainment in a range of academic subjects (see Southgate & Roscigno, 2009; Hille & Schupp, 2015; Swaminathan & Gopinath, 2013; Thorton, 2013; Yang et al, 2014; Yang, 2015; Gill, 2020). However, not all the research has shown such benefits, some indicating no benefits (Elpus, 2013; Tai et al, 2018), while reviews and meta-analyses have drawn mixed conclusions or found that there is no benefit (Jaschke et al, 2013; Sala & Gobet, 2017a, 2017b, 2020). This research is based on correlations, so it may be that learning to play a musical instrument attracts those who are already high attainers (Costa-Giomi, 2012; Schellenberg, 2015).…”