Research suggests that the arts have distinct educational benefits.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what improves learning, grades, and scores. Looking at a national survey of 25,000 students he found improvement stretches across income levels. Low income students involved in the arts had better grades and test scores than low income students who had little or no arts experience. The more arts experience students have, the higher their scores. This may be a result of other factors, such as school district or family wealth.