By: Emma Cowing


IN THE summer of 2003, a community newspaper in Toronto carried an advert offering free weekly arts lessons to six-year-olds. For 36 weeks the children attended classes at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the city, where half were taught to play keyboard, and half were given drama lessons.

Before they started they were given IQ tests, alongside a group of six-year olds receiving no arts lessons at all. At the end of the year, their IQs were tested again. For the children learn...