MUSIC lessons, it seems, don't just give children another string to their bow. Apparently, they also help youngsters do better in all their other subjects.

According to the Music Industry Association, new studies show that music lessons boost self discipline, co-ordination, memory and social skills and schoolchildren who have music on the curriculum do better overall than those who don't.

And what's still there at the centre of that musical teaching and all its benefits? It's the trusty old pianoforte - celebrating its 300th anniversary this year.

You may think that in these high-tech times Mr or Mrs Music Teacher may have slung out their piano and be livening up assembly with a laptop and a mixing desk - but not so.

The piano is as popular as ever, even enjoying something of a revival.

At Prince Henry's High School, for instance, piano number five was recently installed for lessons and for the many other children and adults who make use of the school's facilities.

The new piano is a high-quality Reid Sohn, a Korean model used by the Royal Academy of Music in its practice rooms in London. It will be particularly appreciated by the rising number of pupils taking music GCSEs and A-levels and other music exams.

"The piano is now very popular. We have so many pupils who are learning the piano, much more than 30 years ago," said Richard Tillotson, head of music and performing arts, recalling a downturn in its popularity in the 1970s.

"There does seem to be a resurgence in the interest in pianos," agreed Craig Lowe, of Vale Pianos, which supplied the new model at a special price for the school.

He said he was selling an average of two pianos a week from his base in Throckmorton, near Pershore.

Funnily enough, GPs have been big customers recently and he believes many professionals are using them as stress-busters.

"They're very good for stress as it's very calming to play," he said, adding that he often heads for his showroom pianos in times of tension. Craig sells pianos ranging in price from £1,500 to £5,000.

He also works as a tuner and repairs, reconditions and restores pianos with the help of his wife, Linda and hires them out for events like the Upton Jazz Festival. For him it's not just the playing where the charm of the piano lies.

He said he started lessons when he was eight but it was watching his piano tuner at work which really interested him.

"I looked at it the same way some lads loved to look inside the bonnet of a car," he recalled.

He went on to train at a college in Wales and practised his trade in various shops and workshops before setting up on his own.

He believes another reason for the upturn in piano sales is people's dissatisfaction with electronic pianos and rediscovery of the original. "I find people have been disappointed with them and are now swapping back to acoustic pianos," he explained, adding that he would expect people to get 10 years' use from an electronic model where acoustics lasted a lifetime. It's one of the downfalls of the acoustics - you have to wait a long time for a repeat sale!"

At Prince Henry's, youngsters are embracing new music-making techniques as well as the traditional and head teacher Bernard Roberts said £15,000 had been set aside by the school to buy more keyboard and computer equipment which would be particularly useful for youngsters doing their own compositions.

"There's a very good culture here for all types of school music, " he said.

"We find that there are a lot of people who want to be in the school orchestra or one of the other groups. Pop band participation is also encouraged with opportunities for end of term performances."

However, the range of electronic musical gadgets now on the market and the music-making PC capabilities have not dampened enthusiasm for the real thing, said Mr Tillotson.

He explained that pupils had embraced the new technology as having its own value instead of using it to replace other instruments.

"It's a different way of making music and children like both sorts," he said.

"It's the same with guitars. Children can do it all electronically but they still want to learn acoustic guitars."

And let's face it, a computer just wouldn't be the same...!