Promoting Progress through Music Education and Enlightenment

Format

Poster Presentation

Presenters

Karla Redding-Andrews, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

Location

Harborside Center East and West

Strand #1

Academic Achievement & School Leadership

Relevance

The proposed presentation directly aligns with the Academic Achievement & Leadership conference strand of the 26th Annual National Youth-At-Risk Conference. This presentation will address reducing achievement gaps through differentiated instruction and summer programming for youth.

Brief Program Description

Otis Redding dedicated his life to improving his local community through education and empowerment. Established in 2007, the Otis Redding Foundation, continues his legacy through educational awareness programs in the arts and humanities. Led by Karla Redding-Andrews, “Promoting Progress through Music Education and Enlightenment” will provide educators with insight into how music education can help reduce the educational gap.

Summary

Otis Redding was dedicated to improving the quality of life for our community through the education and empowerment of its youth. Established in 2007 by Mrs. Zelma Redding in her husband’s honor, the Otis Redding Foundation, with its roots in music, has created educational awareness programs in the arts and humanities. These programs encourage individual and team participation, build self-esteem and instill discipline. Through the experiences these programs have created, Karla Redding-Andrews, daughter of Otis Redding and Executive Director of the Otis Redding Foundation, has gained tremendous insight into not only the need for and impact of these programs, but the components of these programs that really are central to success. She will be able to speak to: • Creating opportunities for youth to improve their academic performance by helping them make choices in life that enrich rather than endanger • Engaging youth with counselors and in opportunities that serve as inspiration to ignite dreams in our future generation of leaders • Teaching youth the universal relevance of music to serve as a catalyst for education and other youth oriented initiatives. “Promoting Progress through Music Education and Enlightenment” will provide the audience with insight into the power of music education and include academic research, real-life case studies and testimonials from students, musicians and sponsors who have been positively impacted by the Foundation. The Otis Redding Foundation’s mission is to empower, enrich, and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing and instrumentation. In her presentation, Karla will detail how engaging summer programming (the Big “O” Singer/Songwriter Camp) and providing musical instruments and financial assistance to deserving youth helps to reduce the achievement gap for students.

Evidence

There is documented evidence that music education positively impacts students and leads to greater academic excellence. Examples of research that highlight this position include: • In ‘The Role of the Fine and Performing Arts in High School Dropout Prevention,’ it was found that “students at risk of not successfully completing their high school educations cite their participation in the arts as reasons for staying in school.” • UCLA’s Dr. James Catterall analyzed the school records of 25,000 students as they progressed from 8th to 10th grade. In his analysis, he found that students who studied music and the arts had higher grades, scored better on standardized tests, had better attendance records and were more active in community affairs than other students. Dr. Catterall also found that students from lower income families who studied the arts improved overall their school performance more rapidly than all other students. • In the book “Nature” by Gardiner, Fox, Jeffery and Knowles, it is revealed that “Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8–12 increased their math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. But just as important, reading, history, geography and even social skills soared by 40 percent.” • A journal article entitled “Neurological Research,” studied second graders from a lower income school in Los Angeles who were given eight months of piano/keyboard training, as well as time playing with newly designed music software. The result? The students, taking the Stanford 9 Math Test, went from scoring the 30th to the 65th percentile. These second graders were performing 6th grade math. The critical point is that the students were not taught math using music, they were taught music. It was the process of learning music that helped improve their math skills. • A report released by the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that students involved in courses beyond the required “basics” (math, science, language arts) were less likely to be involved with drugs. The study went on to show that “secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances.”

Biographical Sketch

As Executive Director for The Otis Redding Foundation, Karla Redding-Andrews always pauses to remember the contributions her father made not only to soul music, but to her own success. The Foundation exemplifies her father’s goal to motivate young people to stay in school, and actively works to bring awareness to the importance of music and the arts in the classroom. The Foundation uses STEM-based research to show the correlation between students who actively participate in music programs and academic excellence in the areas of science and math. Redding-Andrews is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, where she earned a degree in Public Relations, and remains an active alumna and supporter of the University.

Keyword Descriptors

music education, summer programming, STEM research, youth education

Presentation Year

2015

Start Date

3-3-2015 4:00 PM

End Date

3-3-2015 5:30 PM

Recommended Citation

Redding-Andrews, Karla, "Promoting Progress through Music Education and Enlightenment" (2015). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 191.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2015/2015/191