On the Economics of Art Education

A quick romp around the internet seems to reveal some notable statistics about music education. It would seem, at first glance, that music education seems to coincide with high academic performance. People who have received music education score higher on the SAT's. 9 out of 10 people with postgraduate degrees received some form of music education. On the surface, this seems to be an argument for incorporating music education into the standard curriculum.

I find myself with some doubts about the usefulness of these statistics, though. For all the benefits they seem to tout, I see little exploration of the economic side. For example... perhaps those schools with high achievement and music education have the resources to provide a higher quality education (and have the spare resources to devote to music education) because of the affluence of the neighborhoods in which they are located. Perhaps music education simply coincides with a higher academic achievement because those who receive it are already receiving a high-quality education and can afford the luxury of the arts.

Perhaps it is my cynical side showing, but I feel like the complexity of the issue is being skirted for the sake of being able to make such blanket statements about the usefulness of music education. Do not get me wrong -- I am a supporter of art education, and had a fairly diverse background in learning the arts (I took lessons on the piano, guitar, clarinet, and mandolin, was a soloist in my church's youth choir (before I fled from Catholicism), I did a lot of drawing in my younger years, took a couple drawing classes in prep school, and I continue to write short stories and poetry, a habit I adopted in the 4th grade). In addition, I think that there are several valid arguments for the inclusion of the arts in education. But I also think that we have an equally pressing issue to attend to, specifically, insuring equality of educational access and quality for all people.

To end with a question (or two): What role should the arts play in education? And does music education actually improve academic success, or does it merely coincide with a higher quality education within a district that can afford such luxuries?