Disregard the popular image of rappers with their ghetto blasters, terrorizing neighborhoods with eardrum-splitting cacophony. Consider instead our delightful school bands and orchestras and ruminate on on whether those students might be becoming our best future citizens.

Unlikely as it might seem, recent scientific research suggests this hypothesis might actually be true. It appears studying music may, in fact, impact the development of the human personality, especially in the area of socialization. In particular, music education encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits which carry over into other areas.

According to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who could be classified as disruptive (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the identical criteria as disruptive.

Neurobiologist Norman Weinberger reports on another research study by Martin Gardiner of Brown University. According to Weinberger, writing in the Winter 2000 Issue of MuSICA Research Notes, Gardiners study checked the relationship between arrest records of teenagers and their degree of involvement in music. He analyzed a large-scale data base that included information gathered over a period of months for more than a thousand residents of Rhode Island.

Gardiner tracked many people from birth through the age of thirty, and found that the greater the involvement in music, the lower the arrest record. Teens who had music education were less likely to get into trouble than students who didnt. However, those who we are also involved in playing a musical instrument had even fewer brushes with the law. Those who had the most knowledge, including good sight-reading ability, had a negligible arrest record.

Gardiners study, which took place in 2000, is backed by others. The National Association for Music Education publishes a fact sheet on its web page which quotes the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. According to the January 1998 report, secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime - and current - make use of of all substances (alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs).

And a 1990 study at the National Arts Education Research Center, concluded that students who participated in arts programs in selected elementary and middle schools in New York City showed significant enhances in self-esteem and thinking skills.

The results of studies such as these are promising for the future of our society, especially in the light of a 2003 Gallup Poll Survey showing record numbers of Americans now play musical instruments.

This survey - conducted by the Gallup Organization (commissioned by NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants) - found that Americans are playing musical instruments at the highest levels since 1978.

Just over half, (54 percent), of households surveyed had a member who plays a musical instrument. And in 48 percent of households where at least one human played an instrument, there we are two or more additional members who also played.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents agreed that playing a musical instrument provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages expression, and 85 percent believe it makes someone smarter. An equal number regretted not learning to play an instrument and 67 percent said they would still like to learn.

Interestingly, the survey also showed that an increasing number of young all the people are becoming involved in music, with the percentage of all the people ages of 5 to 17 who play an instrument at 31 percent, up from 25 percent in 1985.

Of the total respondents a further 27 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24.

Most of those questioned began their music education before their teens with 64 percent proverb they started music study between the ages of 5 to 11 and 18 percent between the ages of 12 to 14.

In his highly acclaimed book, A Users Guide to the Brain, Ratey John J, MD notes: "The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, style, rhythm, phrasing and feeling - training the brain to become incredibly grand at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration might have a nice payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence and an ability for self-information and expression."

Good citizens require many of these same skills in order to live harmoniously with other human beings. So as you move to a new town or take up a new job, it could just be assessment of value enquiring if your neighbors and colleagues are musicians.