“Scientists are confirming what teachers have long suspected: Music not only touches people’s souls, it also shapes growing minds. When children play music they become better readers, thinkers and learners. The more we discover about how the brain works, the more we recognize how crucial music is to children’s learning” says Elizabeth Lloyd, PH.D, a psychoanalyst at the University of California, Berkeley

“The College Entrance Examination Board recently announced that students who studied either music performance or music appreciation scored higher on both the verbal and math portions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in 1995 than did those who not studied music”

In one recent study, three and four-years-old who took introductory keyboard lessons for six months showed a 34 percent increase in intelligence scores for spatial-temporal reasoning, which is required for mathematics, science and engineering. The comparison group of children showed no increase in scores.”

Four graders who were taught the rhythm and melodies of folk songs 40 minutes a day for seven months showed significantly higher reading scores than a control group. And some experts say it’s no coincidence that countries where high-schoolers score highest in science are those known for having rigorous music programs.”