Music education goes far beyond the obvious skills of teaching children to play instruments. Music education can help children perform better in the classroom as well, says Natalie Mullis, a board-certified music therapist with Key Changes Music Therapy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of 2010, approximately 8.4 percent or 5.2 million children ages 3 – 17 have been diagnosed at some point with ADHD. For some, symptoms of the disorder and the medications prescribed to treat it can mask other conditions that may be at the root of attention deficit problems.

Teaching elementary students does not have to be done in the classroom, and that is proven just about every day as schools take field trips to various destinations.