Secrets to raising smart kids: Play music

Learning music isn't going to take your child from average to a genius, but it can help her be a better learner," says Laurel Trainor, a professor of psychology, neuroscience, and behavior at McMaster University and director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind in Ontario, Canada. "Learning how to play music actually has an effect on how the brain gets wired when it comes to memory and attention", says Trainor.