An investigation into the effects of band participation on academic achievement.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between high school band participation and academic achievement as measured in terms of cumulative grade point average (GPA) and grades in math and English. Based on the results of a short survey, students (N = 105) from four different Nebraska high schools served as subjects. T-test analysis signified that band students\u27 scores in math and cumulative grade point average may decline in high school while non-band students\u27 scores in English scores may increase. Non-band students\u27 math and cumulative grade point averages may also decrease at times in high school. When utilizing ANCOV A data, however, it appears that there may be a relationship between band participation and academic achievement. Upon review of high school transcripts, mean scores indicated that band students (N = 53) scored higher than non-band students (N = 52) in every subject during every semester studied. Using analysis of variance, this relationship was found to be significant. during every semester of high school for cumulative grade point average, during the first five semesters for math, and during the first six semesters for English. Gender and number of semesters participation, however, may have some effect on this relationship