Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories involve my mother singing the lullabies (in both German and English) that she now sings to my niece. I took both flute and clarinet lessons in elementary school before switching to chorus and amateurvoice lessons and about a year of guitar in junior high and high school.
Why am I telling you all this? Because now, as an adult, I believe two things. One: the scattered music lessons I had over the years helped me both in school and socially. Two: I wish I had stuck with one of the types of lessons.
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, if a child takes six years of music lessons their IQ will raise an average of 7.5 points. College students with those six years had a predicted two point raise over their peers. That’s pretty good. And that’s only academics.
Socially, by putting your children in music lessons; you’re teaching patience, dedication, teamwork, and responsibility. In addition, it can teach time management. All of these skills can help your child socially.
So does music help your child educationally and socially? The APA says yes. Schools seem to think they should pull music programs first. Personally I play instrumental music in my classroom when my students are doing independent work (over their protests). In the long run, it depends on whether or not you think music is beneficial to your child.
Information from APA came from https://www.apa.org/print-this
