WFSO Administrative Offices
1300 Lamar Street
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
The WFSO is Committed to Providing Music Education and Programs for Community Enrichment.
Muse Program
The MUSE Program provides complimentary concert tickets for local middle school and high school orchestra and band students for all WFSO classical performances. The goal of the program is to recognize local band and orchestra students and help to inspire them to pursue a future in music. Students and their chaperones are offered complimentary tickets to classical concerts throughout the season.
Why Does Music Education Matter?
(Source: Learning, Arts and the Brain)
Quick Facts
Thousands of scientific and academic studies have shown that music education improves academic achievement, builds communication skills, fosters creativity, develops teamwork, and increases engagement in school.
Higher SAT Scores
Students who studied music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT than students with no arts participation. Students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math.
(Source: The College Entrance Examination Board).
Positive Impact on the Brain
Musicians have structurally and functionally different brains compared with non-musicians. In particular, the areas of the brain used to process music are larger or more active in musicians. Even just starting to learn a musical instrument changes the neurophysiology of the brain.
(Source: Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute)
Higher Levels of Mathematics Proficiency
Students who report consistent, high-level involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.
(Source: Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning)
Improves Spatial-Temporal Reasoning
Music training improves scores in spatial-temporal reasoning used in higher levels of science and math.
(Source: Keeping Mozart in Mind)
Higher Standardized Test Scores
Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.
(Source: Journal of Research in Music Education)
Better Speech Processing & Language Interpretation
Playing an instrument helps youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice.
(Source: Physiology and Communication Sciences at Northwestern University)