Musicians On the Road

Does taking students to events that require travel make a difference to their learning?  A study of school students who went on regular “field trips” suggests that multiple arts-focused field trips produced significant academic gains.  The researchers admitted that they were surprised by the results and at a loss to explain the findings. They write: “Our best guess is that test scores may have risen because the extra arts activities increased student interest and engagement in school.”

Sistema teachers are less likely to be surprised. We have had increasing opportunities for students to travel to special Sistema events, or perform away from their home base, and teachers always see a positive ripple effect of intensified focus and motivation when they come back. We at The WE recall a quotation from Ismar Poric, the founder of Sistema Srebrenica in Bosnia.  He had just returned from his first trip with students to perform with Superar students from other countries.  We asked him how the trip went.  After describing their great experience, he said, “They were different when they came back.  They were hungry to learn.”

Read the research here.

Date Published: 14 March 2018