The advantages of reducing homework "My dog ​​ate my homework" is a famous and desperate excuse theoretically used by students who have failed, due to lack of self-discipline, to complete homework. Although many people believe that doing homework consistently leads to success in life, high school students often place it in the same category as household chores; banal and difficult. While it's true that completing homework can contribute to success in the classroom, it can also limit the amount of time high school students can engage in other educational activities. Decreasing the overall amount of homework assigned to students daily can allow them to pursue other important goals such as mastering musical talent, improving athletically, and spending meaningful time with friends and family. Singing and music in general are things that most people have been familiar with since childhood. Mothers often sing lullabies to their babies, young children learn the "A, B, C" of a song, and they can find pots and pans in the kitchen and compose a symphony to the tinny sound of wooden spoons on metal surfaces. Music is something that many students, especially in the high school years, enjoy and even need to feel emotionally whole. Music also encourages academic excellence. A study from the University of California, Irvine illustrated this point: “A study from the University of California, Irvine showed that preschoolers who took daily group singing lessons and private keyboard lessons for several months had scored much higher on spatial reasoning tests. fundamental in the development of mathematical and engineering skills. Speaking from personal experience, many of my friends and I have…half of paper…work,” be employed if the homework assigned to high school students were to be reduced and more time devoted to self-improvement outside of academia. Taking time to improve musical talent, athletic ability, and closeness to family/friends would not only improve academic performance, but also enrich the student's life. Developing talents in different areas leads to a richer, more fulfilling life , full of learning and meaning. Works Cited “Physical activity can help children do better in school, studies say (published October 24, 2013 6:06:45 pm).” Network. November 15, 2013. Prince, Cathryn J. “Getting Children to Tune Early on Musical Instruments.” The Christian Science Monitor: June 20, 2000. ProQuest Network. November 15, 2013. Rosenberg, Merri. “When homework takes over.” New York Times: 0. April 18, 2004. ProQuest. Network. November 16. 2013 .