Students Who Take Music Classes Also Do Better Academically, Study Finds

High school students who play musical instruments score significantly higher in science, math and English.

By Daniel Bastardo Blanco
Jun 24, 2019 4:54 PMJan 24, 2020 1:58 AM
Music Students in Band - Shutterstock
(Credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

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Music is the language of feelings, the food of the soul. But could it also be a grade booster for high school students? Researchers think so — if students engage in actually playing the music (not just listening to it).

A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology reports high school students who play musical instruments score significantly higher in science, math and English exams than their non-musical peers. The authors looked at the academic performance and music engagement (the number of music courses taken) of over 110,000 Canadian students, making the study the largest of its kind.

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