Music Lessons for ADHD

By Brenda, on March 3rd, 2010 (Taken from ADDstudent.com.)

You may know about the research that says that music such as Mozart can help kids with ADHD or other learning disabilities retain more of what they learn.
But did you know that music lessons – learning to read music and play an instrument – can also be beneficial for people with Attention Deficit Disorder?
There have been several studies done on the relationship between the brain and learning to read and play music. They show that the combination of skills required to both read and play music helps both sides of the brain learn to work together more effectively, resulting in improved learning.
A few different studies have also indicated that the brains of people who took music lessons for any length of time are larger than those of people who did not take music. One indicated that about 75% of the CEOs in Silicon Valley had taken music lessons as a child.
Music lessons have also shown to increase math and science skills.
Although most of the studies I looked at involved either younger children (12 & under) or interviews with adults about childhood experiences, I believe that music instruction can benefit anyone of any age.
If your child’s school offers music lessons, I would certainly encourage you to check into them.
The other advantage of private lessons is that you have a wider choice of instruments. Talking your kid into learning guitar might be a lot easier than learning to play the tuba in marching band.