Studies have shown that students who take private lessons on a musical instrument perform better in school.  Many times the skills learned from such studies can help students move on to higher education.  

        There are simple expectations from a private music lesson like practicing, memorizing, or learning new skills.  Just think about how these skills can transfer to the classroom.  Early music training can jump start the brain.  Neurons are brain cells that communicate information and make connections that transmit electric signals.  To study a musical instrument enhances those connections in many ways.  An example is the improvement in spatial-temporal tasks, or space-time tasks.  Playing an instrument requires one to use their hands and eyes in coordination with the brain to create sound.  In young people, this creates new neuron connections to get the hands to cooperate with the eyes and allow the brain to send signals at the right time.  

    Learning a musical instrument also improves memory.  Students who take music lessons are required to know where to find the desired sound on their instrument, as well as memorize songs, scales, and important techniques.  In turn, the brain expands the capacity for memory that, especially in younger children, is a permanent change.

    So how can you make your kids smarter?

Enroll them in some kind of private music study over the summer and watch the magic happen.