When children have a heavy academic workload, music classes and other elective courses are often squeezed out by the main subjects.

However, a large-scale longitudinal study in the Netherlands found that taking more music classes can significantly enhance students' cognitive abilities, including reasoning, short-term memory, planning, and self-control, thereby improving academic performance.


The study was organized by researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and tracked 147 children from different schools.
According to the structured music teaching methods established by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the guidance of the Center for Art Education Experts, these schools offered supplementary music and visual arts courses in addition to regular main subjects.

In class, students learn both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The tracking study lasted for two and a half years, after which researchers assessed students' academic performance and various cognitive abilities such as planning, self-control, and memory.

The results showed that children who took supplementary music and visual arts courses performed better academically and had significantly improved cognitive abilities compared to those who only participated in regular courses.

The study leader, Dr. Arthur Jashke, said: "We believe that taking more music classes can indeed improve children's academic performance, and they will also handle things more intelligently."

Music is very important for a person's life

Jack Ma's speech on the current state of education in China went viral: If I were to reset China's education system, children in kindergarten must learn to sing; music is very important for a person's life.

The first thing that cannot be ignored in implementing quality education is the music education of students.

Music education not only promotes the cultivation of students' moral character and cultural knowledge but also plays a supportive role in nurturing students' sentiments.

Throughout the history of human educational development, whether in the West or the East, music and even art education occupy an important place.