MUSIC MAKES FOR BETTER GRADES
High school students who play a musical instrument perform noticeably better in Maths, English, Science and Language exams than their non-musical peers, according to a recent study by the Journal of Educational Psychology.
Taking place between 2012 and 2015, the study involved 112,916 students from British Colombia, Canada, who were in Grades 7-12 (equivalent to the UK’s secondary school). Those involved completed at least one standardised exam for Maths, English and Science, and studied at least one instrumental music course.
The study, published in June this year, found that participation in music was related to higher scores on all four subjects. ‘These relationships were stronger for instrumental music than vocal music,’ the study explains. ‘Highly engaged instrumental music students were, on average, academically over one…