Children who play an instrument develop discipline. It takes will power, determination and hard work to learn to play a musical instrument, let alone master it. The American Music Conference, which works to build credibility for music education, says that younger people, "who make music together are less likely to use drugs or get in other kinds of trouble."
Being a member of the school choir requires students to learn team work. Students learn the same values of working together in a group as they would in any other team. Failure to show up for one member would be detrimental to the rest of the group and students in choir or band thus learn to be reliable.
Learning to play music requires use of the same portion of the brain that is used to solve math problems. Exercising these brain cells is probably why so many musicians are gifted in mathematics as well, according to The American Music Conference. Students who practice a musical instrument increase their analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Discipline learned through music education is transferred to other areas of academics in the form of a greater study ethic and enhanced cognitive skills. According to College-Bound Seniors National Report, "Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT. Students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation."