The results indicated that piano instruction had a positive effect on children’s self-esteem and school music marks but did not affect their academic achievement in math and language as measured by standardized tests and school report cards. Participants were administered tests of self-esteem, academic achievement, cognitive abilities, musical abilities, and motor proficiency at the beginning of the project and throughout the three years of piano instruction. Children in the control group (n= 54) did not participate in formal music instruction. Children in the experimental group (n= 63) received individual piano lessons weekly for three years and were given an acoustic piano at no cost to their families. The children had never participated in formal music instruction, did not have a piano at home, and their annual family income was below $40,000 Can. This study of the effects of three years of piano instruction is based on a sample of 117 fourth-grade children attending public schools in Montreal.
