"From music and dance to painting and sculpting, the arts allow us to explore new worlds and to view life from another perspective. They also encourage individuals to sharpen their skills and abilities and to nurture their imagination and intellect.".
President George W. Bush .
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Music is and art form that is sometimes forgotten or overlooked in today's elementary schools. The education of music can change lives in profound magical ways. Music is not just for the best or most privileged students. It is unquestionably for every walk of life. Music is much more than just an extra activity for kids. Participation in such an art opens up children's worlds and minds, and offers them the skills for a bright future. Recent studies have shown kids who study music do better in other subjects; as well as score higher on standardized test, stay out of trouble and are more likely to go onto college. There are many skills required to be successful in today's workforce. The study of music offers many of these skills; some of them are teamwork, problem solving, discipline, and self-motivation. .
Music may be the foundation for later math and science excellence. In Japan, Hungary and the Netherlands, music instruction is required. In Japan, students get a minimum of two courses per week in music-making. In Hungary, students get three classes a week unless they enroll in the music magnet schools where they get it every day. In the Netherlands, music and other arts are mandatory. Today, students are assigned comprehensive art projects to complete prior to graduation. The payoff is that their Math and science scores are near the top in the world. .
Music Enhances Cognition .
The exposure to music contributes to the development of essential cognitive systems which include reasoning, creative thinking, decision-making and problem-solving.