Escondido High School Music Boosters
Teachers, Students, and Parents making a difference together...
Welcome to the EHS Music Booster website. The mission of the Escondido High School Music Booster Association is to develop partnerships with parents, students and the greater community to promote and support the EHS Music Department in order to ensure student growth in musicianship, performance, leadership, citizenship, and self-discipline.
Every thing the boosters do is for our band members. Band is more than just playing an instrument, singing, twirling a rifle/sabre, or marching, it's an activity that has far reaching and long lasting affects.
"Dr. Nancy Rubino - Senior Director, College Board
Not all benefits derived from a music education are academic. Many studies have found that involvement in music leads to positive personal, social and motivational effects. Specifically, Catterall (2012) demonstrated that the arts significantly boost student involvement - both for low SES and high SES groups -- in extracurricular activities and student government, reduce discipline problems and increase the odds that students will go on to graduate from both high school and a four-year college. In short, music helps improve the overall quality of a young person's life.
A Columbia University study revealed that students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident and better able to express their ideas. As a result, researchers have found a reduction in aggressive and anti-social behavior as well as an increase in pro-social behavior (Bastian, 2000). Similarly, a study by Shields (2001) using music education in a mentoring program found a significant positive increase in self-perception derived from musical competence and a correlation between musical competence and global self-worth. Students felt free to be themselves and gained confidence from the experience. Finally, students who participate in school band or orchestra have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in our society. Importantly, these positive behavioral effects steadily increase and persist over time.
Performing with others also helps students build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students who play an instrument in a band need to acquire certain social and emotional skills necessary to be a contributing member, including discipline, collaboration, patience, persistence and motivation (Adderly, 2003). In addition, performing in front of others helps boost children's self-esteem and gives them the opportunity to overcome fears and see they can succeed.
The arts also create a supportive environment that promotes acceptance of constructive criticism and safely allows one to take risks (Barry, 2002). In several national studies over the past decade, students at risk of dropping out of school cite participation in the arts as their reason for staying. These students also reported watching fewer hours of television, participating more in community service and having less feelings of boredom in school. Similarly, orchestra students in Tacoma, Washington (Cutietta, 1998) followed over a two-month period were found to have more positive attitudes about school and less classroom friction and competitiveness.
Finally, in Catterall's 2012 study, the findings revealed a large increase in volunteerism in young adults with artsrich high school experiences. This was true for both low income and high income students, with an impace greater seen on low income students. "