Are you afraid you're raising a little delinquent? Is your eight- or nine-year-old lacking in sympathy for others, and unwilling to provide needed help? Perhaps what your kid needs is just 10 months with a ukulele.
According to recently published research, third- and fourth-graders in Canada who initially scored low in sympathy and helpfulness developed those qualities at above-average rates if they took group music lessons for a full school year.
These particular lessons featured group performances on theukulele, "an affordable and child-friendly instrument," notes a research team led by psychologist E. Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto–Mississauga. Playing the ukulele with others helped kids with attitude and behavior issues mature into more caring individuals—a welcome effect that occurred whether the class was mandatory or voluntary.
[For more of this story, written by Tom Jacobs, go to http://www.psmag.com/health-an...ere-over-the-rainbow]
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