Music Enhances Higher Brain Function
Music lessons have been shown to improve a child's performance in school  A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reports that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills which are necessary for learning math and science.  This experiment included three groups of preschoolers:
   *one group received private piano lessons and singing lessons
   *a second group received private computer lessons
   * and a third group received no training.
After six months of keyboard lessons, those children who received piano training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the others.  These findings indicate that music uniquely enhances higher brain functions required for mathematics, chess, science and engineering.
-From Neurological Research Feb 28, 1997; Frances Rauscher, Ph.D., Gordon Shaw, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine.

Music Increases SAT Scores
Students with coursework/experience in music performance scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion of the SAT and 36 points higher on the math portion of the SAT than students with no coursework or experience in the arts for a combined total of 88 points higher.
-Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers 1998, The College Board

There is a direct correlation between improved SAT scores and the length of time spent studying the arts.  Those who studied the arts four or more years scored 57 points higher on verbal and 39 points higher on math portions of the SAT than students with no coursework or experience in the arts for a combined total of 96 points higher.
-Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers 1998, The College Board