Making music in childhood improves school grades

Study: Youths playing music often have better grades

09/01/2015

Those who receive music lessons in childhood benefit from this in later life. This was the result of a long-term study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). Accordingly, young people playing music have better grades than their peers, who do not speak any musical instrument. Music education also promotes ambition and conscientiousness, according to researchers.

Music lessons in childhood increases the chance to graduate high school
Children playing a musical instrument have better grades at school, according to the study, in which the researchers evaluated data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) of nearly 4,000 adolescents. The focus was on the 17-year-olds, who received music lessons since the age of eight.

„Especially young people from less educated families benefit from music lessons“, explains SOEP Director Jürgen Schupp, who conducted the study in cooperation with the DIW economist Adrian Hille. Compared to other adolescents from similar families of origin, who did not play in childhood, on average they have significantly better grades. By contrast, the differences among the 17-year-olds from more educated families are much less noticeable. However, the level of education of parents determines significantly whether children learn a musical instrument. Young people from higher social classes continue to take music lessons, according to the scientists.

Researchers emphasize the importance of greater state support for extracurricular music education, open to all children regardless of their social background and parent income. A good example is the program „Each child an instrument“ (JeKi), where children can learn an instrument for free for one year. „Such initiatives can be used to awaken dormant youth potential and to reduce social inequality“, explains Hille.

Another result of the study: Adolescents who had early music lessons are more conscientious, open and ambitious. „The researchers' calculations show that they are aiming for a high school diploma and then a degree with an eight percent higher probability than others“, it says in a message from the DIW. (Ag)

Image: Egon Häbich