Does music make kids smarter? At what age should a child begin music lessons? Where should you purchase an instrument? What should parents expect from a child's teachers and lessons? Raising Musical Kids answers these and many other questions as it covers everything from assembling a listening library for kids, to matching a child's personality with an instrument's personality, to finding musical resources in your community. Knowing that children can--and usually do--get most of their music education within the public school system, the author explores at length the features and benefits of elementary and secondary school programs, and shows how parents can make the schools work for them and their children. Throughout, Cutietta emphasizes the joy of participating in music for its own sake. Raising Musical Kids is a book that parents everywhere will treasure as a complete road map for developing their child's musical abilities.