Music requires study skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills and as these are learnt and developed they expand the student's abilities in other academic areas and help them become better students. - Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT : students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. — College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ : The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.