How does music education help children succeed academically?

Research shows music education improves memory, spatial intelligence, fine motor skills, and pattern recognition. Schools with music programs have a 90.2% graduation rate compared to 72.9% for schools without music education. An American Psychological Association study found music education improved academic achievement and executive function in grade school children across race, gender, and socio-economic lines.

How can my child access music education for free?

Practicing Musician offers 3,500 plus free video lessons across 15 instruments for students of all ages. The platform replicates the private lesson experience online at no cost, and can be used alongside a school music program or as a standalone at-home learning tool.

What skills does learning a musical instrument teach children?

Learning an instrument builds discipline, focus, teamwork, creativity, and confidence — transferable skills that serve children throughout their academic careers and into adult life. These are the same skills employers and universities consistently identify as most valuable in the next generation.

Music Education and Your Child's Success

Q: Can music education help children with learning disabilities?

Yes. The National Center for Biotechnology Information lists multiple studies showing the benefits of music-based interventions for children with learning disabilities and behavioral issues, including ADHD and autism. Music provides a structured, confidence-building outlet that supports these students in unique ways.

By Jake Douglass, CEO and Founder of Practicing Musician

Music education and your child’s success are more closely linked than most parents realize. Raising a well-educated and well-adjusted child, poised for success, is the desire of any good parent. But in a world of increasing uncertainty, how does a proactive parent give their child that extra edge?

The answer may be simpler than you think: put an instrument in their hands.

How Music Education Prepares Children for Success

Learning an instrument prepares children for success as adults by increasing their cognitive abilities, including memory, spatial intelligence, fine motor skills, and pattern recognition. Increased confidence and emotional stability are also benefits of learning an instrument — tools that prepare your child to navigate the world with assurance and grace.

The fact that music education improves overall academic performance has been well documented. A American Psychological Association study showed music education improved academic achievement and executive function in grade school children, and the impact crossed race, gender, and socio-economic lines. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2% graduation rate compared to 72.9% for schools without music education — a gap that speaks for itself.

Additionally, it has been shown that music education can help students with learning disabilities. The National Center for Biotechnology Information lists a number of studies showing the benefits of music-based interventions for children with learning disabilities and behavioral issues, including ADHD and autism. For these students in particular, music education can provide a structured, confidence-building outlet that other subjects simply cannot replicate.

The Skills Music Teaches Go Far Beyond Music

When a child learns to play an instrument, they are not just learning music. They are building a set of transferable skills that will serve them in every area of life:

Discipline and perseverance — mastering an instrument takes consistent practice, teaching children that hard work pays off
Focus and attention — reading music, listening, and playing simultaneously demands sustained concentration
Teamwork and listening — playing in a band or orchestra teaches children how to collaborate and respond to others in real time
Creativity and self-expression — music gives children a healthy outlet for emotions and creative thinking
Confidence — performing, even in small settings, builds the kind of confidence that carries into classrooms, job interviews, and social situations throughout life

These are not soft skills. These are the exact skills that employers, universities, and communities are looking for in the next generation of leaders.

The Challenge: Music Programs Are Disappearing

Despite the overwhelming evidence that music education benefits children, music programs across the country continue to face budget cuts. In 2024, approximately 1.3 million public school students in the U.S. had no access to any music education at school. Only 17% of public high schools require music for graduation.

This is the gap Practicing Musician was built to fill.

How Practicing Musician Supports Your Child’s Success

Private lessons have proven to be the most effective way to learn to play an instrument. After six years of development and use by K-12 music educators and students across 46 countries, Practicing Musician has proven to be a platform that can provide your child with a genuine private lesson experience — completely free.

Our service is designed to be used in conjunction with traditional school music programs, or as a stand-alone service at home. K-12 music educators report a marked improvement for students using Practicing Musician at home to bolster their school program. At-home users of all ages are also getting great results using our online service to learn to play an instrument independently.

Practicing Musician’s users get access to 3,500+ video lessons taught by world-class teachers from the Seattle Symphony and The Juilliard School, providing a private lesson experience across 15 instruments. Sheet music is integrated into every lesson, and Practicing Musician walks students through selecting and acquiring their instrument too.

Music is a gift that can grow and heal us, and Practicing Musician is dedicated to bringing that growth and healing to every child, everywhere — through free, world-class online music education.

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