Biological Benefits of Musical Training in At-Risk Children

The proposed project builds upon the proven success of our partnership with the Harmony Project (http://www.harmonyproject.org/), a non-profit organization providing free musical training to at-risk children in the gang reduction zones of Los Angeles. Since its foundation in 2001, the Harmony Project has dramatically boosted high school graduation and college acceptance rates among children in the program compared with their peers. The organization has garnered significant media attention and two presidential awards, in acknowledgement of its exceptional effectiveness in the implementation of music education to support both academic outcomes and community development. This collaborative research study has been supported for two years by an internal grant from Northwestern University’s Knowles Hearing Center; we herein request funding to support the within-subject assessment of the effects of one year of musical training in the original control group. With the subject population and logistical framework already well established, an additional year of data collection in this cohort presents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for very high scientific impact at very low risk.