Judy Hsu

February 7, 2007 (WLS) --
Many kids take music lessons as a hobby. But, a new study confirms what many people have long suspected: that these lessons are actually good for a child's mental development.

Twelve-year-old Kate Marani has been playing the violin since she was seven. She also does well in school.

"I think math is kind of one of my best subjects," she said.

Good grades and playing the violin&researchers in Canada think there is a link. They tested a dozen children over the course of a year and found that kids who took music lessons had a better memory and were better able to focus than kids with no musical training.

"There have been more and more studies showing that exposure to music early on, playing a musical instrument, involvement with music, has associations with intelligence, with school performance" said child psychologist Jennifer Thorpe."

Kate's music teacher says the study confirms what she discovered years ago.

"I've watched my students over the years, and I've noticed that they've all had good memories, not just with music, but with memorizing poems, or memorizing bible verses," said Carol Stokes, Kate's violin instructor.

Some experts believe that music and other disciplines can actually improve the connections between the billions of neurons in a child's brain.

"The brain is incredibly responsive to experiences, and the kind of experiences that parents provide can actually shape the structure of the brain," said Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of The Developing Mind.

Like math, art and language, experts say music is one more way to stimulate the development of the brain.

Before your child starts music classes, you should ask them, and yourself, if they are willing to put in the time and energy needed for practice.

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