Music, a subject witih many benefits

Many public schools today are having to cut their music and arts programs due to budgetary restraints. That is a terrible trend considering how important music and art are to children’s development. Fortunately, for homeschoolers, we do not face the loss of these programs.

There are so many benefits to music and art curriculum, that it is difficult to pick just a few to mention here. Studies indicate that children who study music score higher on the SAT in math and language by about 50 points each. Children who study music and art score higher grades in math and science on a consistent basis. But grades and college admission are not the only benefits of music and art study. Music education improves your child’s spatial and temporal reasoning abilities.

Children who studied music in school show greater self-esteem than students who did not. Music helps children with their organizational skills, and attention issues. Musicians are better at functional multitasking because their brains are already trained to adjust such things as tempo, pitch, volume, and tone all at the same time as they play. Practicing and studying music encourages children to be disciplined, and that discipline does extend to academics and study habits.

Your child does not have to be a musician to benefit from music either. Students who took music appreciation also showed benefits and improved scores in math. All in all, there are few disadvantages and many advantages to including music in your child’s homeschool curriculum.