How Music Lessons Help Children Excel in School – Backed by Science
Many parents in Bukit Timah wonder if music lessons are worth the time and investment. Beyond learning to play an instrument, can music education actually help your child perform better academically?
The answer is yes—and science backs it up. Studies around the world have shown that learning music supports brain development, strengthens cognitive skills, and improves social and emotional well-being. Here’s how.
Enhances Brain Development
learning music engages both sides of the brain. This helps children develop connections between regions responsible for language, memory, and problem-solving.
A study published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience found that musical training shapes the brain’s structure and improves abilities beyond music itself.
Reference:
Gets you better at Maths
Practicing an instrument strengthens working memory and attention span—skills essential for doing well in school.
The most highly publicized mental influence of music is the “Mozart effect” Struck by the observation that many musicians have unusual mathematical ability, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, investigated how listening to music affects cognitive function in general, and spatial-temporal reasoning in particular
Reference:
The Mozart Effect – Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
Helps you learn foreign languages
Growing evidence shows that music and language experience affect the neural processing of speech sounds throughout the auditory system. Recent work mainly focused on the benefits induced by musical practice on the processing of native language or tonal foreign language, which rely on pitch processing.
Reference:
Musical Training Enhaces the Automatic Neural Processing of Foreign Speach Sounds – Nature
Builds Discipline and Time Management
Practicing an instrument teaches children discipline, patience, and time management—qualities that benefit every area of learning.
A longitudinal study published in National Library of Medicine reported that sustained music training over years was associated with improvements in executive function, such as planning and impulse control.
Reference:
Supports Emotional Well-Being
Performing music gives children a sense of accomplishment and builds confidence. Studies have also found that music can reduce stress and anxiety.
According to the study in National Library of Medicine, group music making promotes positive moods and social bonding.
Reference:
The Transformatice Power of Music – National Library of Medicine
Help your child thrive
In Singapore’s high-achievement school environment, music lessons can be a healthy outlet that nurtures creativity while supporting academic success. At our music school located conveniently at the exit of King Albert Park MRT station, we see first-hand how children grow in confidence and focus with each lesson.
If you’d like to discover how music can help your child excel, we invite you to book a trial lesson with our experienced teachers.
Book your trial lesson today!
Let’s unlock your child’s full potential—one note at a time.