It just somehow made sense. Many music educators believe that studying music strengthens student s academic performance. Their research suggests that the continuous building of music skills as part the curriculum can significantly improve a child s performance in reading and math. It s an argument which parents who favor music education have had a hard time making. But they shouldn t have to struggle so hard.
Music is a rigorous discipline.
Music teachers, of course, will tell you that it is an essential part of any balanced curriculum, and they have some substantial evidence to back up this claim. College-bound students, for example, are advised by the College Board to include arts and music courses in their schedule to show that they have a broad range of interests. And a veteran of high-tech triumphs in Silicon Valley once observed that the very best engineers and technical designers in the computer industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians. Regardless of a student s college plans, music instruction can dramatically enhance a child s abstract reasoning skills. This skill is also better developed by music education than computing classes, according to one study.