In an extensive study through the University of Toronto, students who received music lessons showed greater improvement in several subareas of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children than did students in either of two control groups. The music groups showed greater improvement than the control groups for all for of the index scores, Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Freedom from Distractibility, and Processing Speed. They also outperformed their peers on 10 of 12 subtests, Picture Completion, Coding, Similarities, Picture Arrangement, Block Design, Vocabulary, Object Assembly, Comprehension, Symbol Search, and Digit Span. The only subtests that the control groups didn't do as well on were Arithmetic and Information.

From: "Music Lessons Enhance IQ," Psychological Science (forthcoming)

Available here: American Psychological Society - Psychological Science

Source URL: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/musiciq.pdf