Unfortunately music is a subject that is often cut from children's curriculum in school. Yet, schools are continually looking for ways to improve math and science scores. There are reports revealing that schools who produced the highest academic achievement in the United States today are spending 20 to 30% of the day on the arts, with special emphasis on music.“Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures" 2002".
Investing in piano or voice lessons for your children is very important towards success in life, society, intellectual development and school. Here are some quotes I gathered to support this idea.
Success in Life
“Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. An association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients. For all these reasons, it deserves strong support in our educational system, along with the other arts, the sciences, and athletics.” — Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Leading Heart Surgeon, Baylor College of Music. “Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures" 2002".
Success in Society
The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, nearly without exception, practicing musicians. — Grant Venerable, "The Paradox of the Silicon Savior," as reported in "The Case for Sequential Music Education in the Core Curriculum of the Public Schools," The Center for the Arts in the Basic Curriculum, New York, 1989 “Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures" 2002".
Success in Developing Intelligence
“The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling--training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attentional skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.” — Ratey John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. New York: Pantheon Books, 2001. “Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures" 2002".
Success in School
Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. — College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001. “Source: MENC—The National Association for Music Education "Music Education Facts and Figures" 2002".
Need more convincing? click the link below.