Independent Research on Music Together^®

The Music Together program is often studied by independent researchers at various educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, as well as by our own research and development teams. Together, we're committed to furthering the understanding of the powerful role of music in child development.

For example, two large studies conducted in preschool populations in Trenton, New Jersey, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, showed that Music Together classes support overall learning.

And here are several more recent projects about the effects of the Music Together program in different populations:

• University of Southern California
  Researchers from USC's Thornton School of Music are studying the effects of music education (in the form of participation in Music Together classes) on helping, sharing, and comforting behaviors in children between the ages of 3 and 4.

• University of Minnesota
  In this three-year, federally funded (IES) project, Music Together was one component of an innovative intervention targeting executive function skills in impoverished preschoolers, particularly those from homeless or highly mobile families.

• Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra/Crescendo Academy of Music, Kalamazoo MI
  This study examined the impact of a program designed to build and strengthen children's musical aptitude and kindergarten readiness. Music Together classes were shown to have a positive impact on children's social-emotional skill development, motor and pre-reading skills, music competence, and overall kindergarten readiness.

• University of California at Los Angeles
  Music Together is one element of a federally funded (NIAAA) prevention and early intervention program for children with prenatal alcohol exposure between the ages of 1-24 months and their foster parents, adoptive parents, and caregivers.

• Western Michigan University
  Music Together is a part of two feasibility studies funded in part by the WK Kellogg Foundation: (1) Achieving Academic Readiness for Infants Exposed to Opiates through Co-Regulation: Sensory Integration, and the Science of Song; and (2) Keeping Promises in Kalamazoo: Achieving Health Equity for Young Children through Trauma-informed Resiliency-focused Connected Systems.

• State University of Buffalo
  This randomized controlled pilot study by the Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, was undertaken to ascertain the effects Music Together has on infants' relative food reinforcement, which is related to obesity in preschoolers.

• Reunity Houses of Family Connections, NJ
  Used with parents and children aged 0-7 who had been separated due to abuse and neglect, the Music Together component of this reunification process was found to promote positive parenting practices, increase parents' understanding of child development, and contribute to overall success rates in families' reunification.

For more case studies or details, check out this document or email research@musictogether.com.