I'm guessing they mean cognitive abilities in general. Taking a music lesson won't make the kid any smarter than if he didn't take it. He'll just interact with

I'm guessing they mean cognitive abilities in general. Taking a music lesson won't make the kid any smarter than if he didn't take it. He'll just interact with music up to the level of his general intelligence, and if he played Fortnite instead, he'd do the same. This is more "chess won't make you smarter." I'm assuming what does is related to family environment, genes, and quality of primary education.