When Music Makes the Grades

As music educators, we often feel in our bones that music supports broader learning, but it’s always energizing when research backs us up.

A 2020 Brazilian study looked at 80 children aged 8 to 12, comparing those who received six months of group-based instrumental music education with peers who didn’t.

The results?

The music learners significantly outperformed their peers in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Even more compelling, their teachers noticed improvements in attention, memory, and overall academic competence.

What’s striking is the simplicity of the intervention: two 60-minute sessions per week, led by the community-focused Projeto Guri program. No elite conservatories. No special selection process. Just consistent, well-structured music learning, blending rhythm, listening, improvisation, and theory.

So, what does this mean for us?

In the classroom, it’s a reminder that music isn’t an “extra”, it’s an engine for inclusive learning. In studio settings, it invites us to value process over product. And in school or ensemble contexts, it challenges us to champion music as core to child development, not just artistic enrichment.

How might our teaching practices support attention, memory, and literacy through music?

Could something as simple as rhythmic call and response become a bridge to better reading? This study encourages us to think big about music’s role in helping every child thrive.