According to a recent study featured on Science Daily, encouraging your child to join clubs and to attend extracurricular activities— specifically those related to music—may help her feel more satisfied with her school life.

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, studied almost a thousand Year 3 and Year 6 students from 10 Finnish schools that offered extended music classes and compared them with another group that followed a regular curriculum.

Based on the results, the Year 6 students who attended extended music classes were generally more satisfied with school. They felt like they had more opportunities to excel and discovered a sense of achievement when working with their classmates in music-related activities. However, the extra classes didn’t seem to have any effect on the Year 3 participants.

"Singing in a choir and ensemble performance are popular activities at extended music classes. Other studies have established that people find it very satisfying to synchronize with one another. That increases affiliation within the group and may even make people like each other more than before. Other subjects in the school do not have as intensive training in synchrony and coordination as music lessons, which could explain part of the phenomenon," principal investigator Päivi-Sisko Eerola explains.

So when the glee club catches your daughter’s fancy, let her explore her musical potential. Participating in music-related activities could help her develop a more positive outlook toward school and help her build lasting relationships with her peers.

(Photo by Steven Depolo via Flickr Creative Commons)