There are many studies on the benefits of learning a musical instrument for children that are not all so obvious as simply playing an instrument for fun. Having grown up with music and music lessons surrounding me throughout my life I noticed first hand these benefits in my peers. I am now a guitar teacher and I am still seeing them today.

Recalling my time in school, all of the smartest, highest performing kids in my classes were also those kids in the school music program. Research is now showing that this is not merely a co-incidence. Studies are basically showing that music lessons of any kind may enhance academic results and general intelligence. It’s also being shown to help with student discipline and their general self-esteem. A Rockerfeller Foundation Study concluded that students doing music majors had the highest admittance rates to medical schools next to the humanities and biochemistry. A flat analysis of grade results in SAT exams showed that music students on average achieve higher results in verbal and math exams.

Some studies suggest that music lessons provide children with important developmental benefits beyond simply the knowledge or skill of playing a musical instrument. Research suggests that musical lessons may enhance intelligence and academic achievement, build self-esteem and improve discipline. A recent Rockefeller Foundation Study found that music majors have the highest rate of admittance to medical schools, followed by biochemistry and the humanities. On SAT tests, the national average scores were 427 on the verbal and 476 on math. Unfortunately, students in music and students performing well academically are also strongly tied to wealthy parental backgrounds and being in a higher socio-economic we would generally expect to see better performances on average. Read the rest of this entry »