On March 4, 2008, NBC Nightly News ran a segment titled Better Minds Through Music.  The story was a kind of follow-up to the whole Mozart Effect controversy.  At issue in the report was the question as to whether or not being involved in music has a real, measurable effect on student abilities in other areas of academics. 

The Dana Foundation sponsored the study.  The results seem to confirm the premise behind the Mozart Effect, but go farther to show that musical sounds help in geometric reasoning and other aspects of higher order thinking.  To view the video of the news story visit the NBC Nightly News Site.  The Dana Foundation web site also has a news release on the benefit of Arts education on cognitive development.  The Meridian Star also published a recent news story on the arts and how it improves education and economic development.