Some academics believe that the desire to make music comes as naturally to children as learning to walk and to communicate. Even infants are able to differentiate between melodies. Very young children learn through play and the development of their understanding of music, or audiation, rapidly improves as they are exposed to and engaged with music. Children can pick up music so readily that even those as young as age 5 can learn to perform songs they have been familiarized with.
Learning music, or learning through music, can improve a child's ability to study and help him or her to achieve higher grades in other subjects. Music education has been linked to enhanced performance in areas such as mathematics, improved SAT test scores and an increase in IQ levels by academics at the University of California. The great physicist Albert Einstein credited his musical studies with helping to foster his scientific breakthroughs.
Children can develop social and emotional intelligence by performing and enjoying music in a school orchestra or choir, or by performing solo to an audience. The U.S. Department of Justice credits musical instruction with helping students to avoid antisocial behaviors, such as drug abuse and gang involvement.
Education in art and music has been shown to encourage students to become involved with school politics and science or math fairs, which in turn helps them to carry on to success in their college life. A 1994 study by Lewis Thomas showed music majors to be exceptionally successful in gaining admission to medical schools. The creative sector, which includes the music industry, provides more than $60 billion in exports per year from the United States, which evidences the benefits a musically-educated community can bring to the nation's economy.