Joining a music class may help children improve academic performance as researchers have found that such lessons can enhance their cognitive abilities -- including language-based reasoning and short-term memory. "Despite indications that music has beneficial effects on cognition, music is disappearing from general education curricula," said study co-author Artur Jaschke from VU University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

"This inspired us to initiate a long-term study on the possible effects of music education on cognitive skills that may underlie academic achievement," Jaschke added. For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, the researchers conducted the study with 147 children across multiple Dutch schools, using a structured musical method developed by the Ministry of Research and Education in the Netherlands together with an expert centre for arts education.