Music education is fading as a result of state officials cutting the arts from schools in an effort to decrease money and enhance academic performance.

Some people assume that music isn’t as significant as other courses in school. However, research has demonstrated that the benefits of music education include academic success among pupils.

Here are 10 advantages of music education that demonstrate why it should be a vital part of students’ lives, both inside and outside of school.

1.     Language skills. According to PBS, “Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways.” Additionally, learning a musical instrument improves the brain’s ability to comprehend human language, which can aid children in learning a second language.

2.     Improved test scores. According to studies, students who participate in a high-quality music education program at school perform better on tests than students who don’t engage in music.  PBS reports, “A study published in 2007 by Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy at the University of Kansas, revealed that students in elementary schools with superior music education programs scored around 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math scores on standardized tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs.”

3.     Self-esteem. Music allows students to attempt new things and gain confidence as they learn to sing or play an instrument. “When students are working towards a common goal, they appreciate that their ‘voice’ and interests are heard and understood by others. This joint effort creates a sense of secure acceptance that is critical to their self-esteem,” states PBS.

4.     Listening skills. Music requires you to listen to yourself as well as the rest of the ensemble. Musicians need to hear tempos, dynamics, tuning, and harmonies as this helps auditory development in the brain.

5.     Math skills. Reading music includes understanding fundamental music notation rudiments such as quarter, half, and whole notes, which are basically fractions. As Getting Smart explains, “When a music pupil has spent time learning about rhythm, he has learned to count. He is not counting numbers, per se, but he is most certainly using logic to count out the rhythms and bars, and working his way methodically through the piece. Many musical concepts have mathematical counterparts.”

6.     Making the brain work harder. According to research, the brain of a musician functions differently than a non-musician, according to PBS. “There’s some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training,” says Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University. “When you’re a musician and you’re playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain.”

7.     Relieving stress. We are all aware that listening to a favorite musician or song may both uplift and calm us. The same goes for creating music. It gives kids a great release, allowing them to immerse themselves in something that’s fulfilling and calming. I know that no matter how anxious I was at school, I would always leave choir practice cheerful and calm.

8.     Creativity. Music certainly enhances the creative side of children. This can have an impact on their futures. The Arts Education Partnership states, “Employers identify creativity as one of the top five skills important for success in the workforce (Lichtenberg, Woock, & Wright, 2008).” Teamwork also shows that originality and flexibility are benefits of music education since they are essential components of the creativity and invention required by music. Finally, graduates of arts programs indicate that creativity, teamwork, communication, and critical thinking are skills and competences required in their jobs, whether they work in music or in other disciplines.

9.     Helping special needs children. Music can have a powerful impact on kids with special needs. It enables them to find ways to communicate and open up, something they may have difficulty doing otherwise. As a result, schools are increasingly introducing music therapy after-school programs to help kids with disabilities, despite budget cuts to music programs.

10.  Higher graduation rates. Schools with music programs have greater graduation rates. DoSomething.org reports, “Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2 percent graduation rate and 93.9 percent attendance rate compared to schools without music education who average 72.9 percent graduation and 84.9 percent attendance.”