Studies find arts have ripple effect: Art education develops many cognitive skills

[23 January 2005 - Democrat & Chronicle] When school budgets are trimmed, arts courses often wind up as expendable frills. But a decade ago, arts teachers around the nation found an unexpected ally. Researchers at the University of California-Irvine discovered that students aced spatial-reasoning tests after listening to Mozart's music. Some scientists even predicted that the so-called "Mozart Effect" could spur brain development in children younger than 3. Tens of thousands of Mozart albums were sold to schools, hospitals and hopeful parents. Then, six years ago, the study was debunked by the journal Psychological Science and several independent scientists who found no lasting cognitive benefit in listening to music. More