The surprising answer is yes! And the evidence is pretty overwhelming. Several studies demonstrate a strong correlation between studying music and mathematical achievement.
Students who have musical education:
Score higher on standardized testing, particularly in mathematics
Have overall higher achievement levels in math than do adolescents with no formal training in music.
These studies just scratch the surface. This article surveys several studies that show music education correlates with strong performance in math.
One might argue that kids who are good at math naturally gravitate toward music. There is probably some truth to that. Pythagoras discovered some interesting connections between math and good music, and it could be that someone who likes math also likes the idea of playing music.
But more recent studies suggest studying music is also part of the cause of improvement in math.
This study found that musical study helps with mathematical processing.
This study of students also found that musical education causes improvement in mathematical performance.
This study found that how often you study and play music matters. The more musical study a student engaged in the better they performed on mathematical assessments.
And this neuroscience study seems to have found the reason why music causes improvements in math. Apparently, musical education strengthens regions of the brain involving mathematical and musical processing.
So when you invest in a child's music education, you're not just helping them become great musicians and put on wonderful performances for audiences to enjoy. You are equipping them with other important learning goals we have for our children.