Add 'Chopsticks' to Equation

USU Youth Conservatory Director Ralph van der Beek says piano instruction dramatically improves cognitive skills needed for high level math and science. Citing a study by psychologist Francis Rauscher, van der Beek says preschool-aged subjects who took music lessons boosted their spatial intelligence by 46 percent, compared to a meager 6 percent improvement in children not taught music.

More than 250 young musicians receive comprehensive piano education in the classroom and at the keyboard through Utah State University’s Youth Conservatory. For more information, contact Ralph van der Beek, Youth Conservatory director, 435-797-3033; and Brooke Reynolds, Youth Conservatory coordinator, 435-797-3018, Department of Music, College of HASS, Utah State University. Visit the Youth Conservatory Web site.