Music Might Be Making Your Kids Smarter.

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It might be music to your ears to learn that learning to play a musical instrument is more than playing a pretty tune. It might even make your kids smarter. Research continues to show how the process of learning music actually seems to help build the brain's neural responses and improve overall cognitive learning.

Yes, many children dislike music lessons and the only song they will sing is the constant complaint about having to practice every day. However, the proven scientific benefits of studying music should be one more reason to help you stay the course and keep your children involved.

Over the past decade, exciting, independent University-based studies at Harvard, McMaster, Northwestern and Long Island University have all yielded increasing evidence that the process of studying music is linked to better overall academic achievement: math, reading, verbal skills, auditory discrimination, finger dexterity, memory and I.Q. proficiency � all have connections to music education.

Reading music is essential to learning any instrument, so find one your child shows interest in and sign up for local lessons to get started. Some teachers recommend the piano as a great first choice as even young school-age children can enjoy some early success with it.

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References:

Northwestern University. "Music Training Enhances Brainstem Sensitivity to Speech Sounds, Neuroscientist Says." ScienceDaily 22 February 2010.

SAGE Publications/Psychology of Music. "Music Education Can Help Children Improve Reading Skills." ScienceDaily 16 March 2009.

Public Library of Science. "Time Invested In Practicing Pays Off For Young Musicians, Research Shows." ScienceDaily 5 November 2008.

Northwestern University. "Music Training Linked To Enhanced Verbal Skills." ScienceDaily 27 September 2007.

Oxford University Press. "First Evidence That Musical Training Affects Brain Development In Young Children." ScienceDaily 20 September 2006.