London, Sept 11 (ANI): Encouraging your children to learn a guitar or piano can help boost their memory and intelligence, suggest researchers.

The research team from University of London's Institute of Education has found that learning to play an instrument expand the left side of the brain, enhancing kids' memory power by almost 20 per cent, reports Times Online.

The research was a part of the drive to encourage more children to take up a musical instrument.

It showed that music lessons increased pupils' IQ by seven points, compared with 4.3 points for drama lessons.

Moreover, playing an instrument improves children's behaviour.

Lead researcher Suasn Hallam insists that this is because working in small musical groups requires trust, respect and compromise. (ANI)