Schools often react to tight budgets by cutting the arts. This may come at a price, according to recent research that found early music instruction enhances IQ test scores.

In the study by Canadian researcher Glenn Schellenberg, a sample of 144 six-year-old children received free weekly voice or piano lessons. Another group attended weekly drama classes, and a control group received no special classes.

Before attending the first class, all the children completed an intelligence test. Posttests revealed an IQ gain of at least 4.3 points on average for all students — the result of attending school for a year. Children who completed music lessons achieved an average 2.7 points higher than students not receiving music lessons.

Source: Schellenberg, E.G. (2004). Music lessons enhance IQ. Psychological Science, 15(8), 511-514. Retrieved from www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/musiciq.pdf