Music Education Research: A Timeline of Studies Showing the Benefits

F H RAUSCHER, G L SHAW, L J LEVINE, E L WRIGHT, W R DENNIS, R L NEWCOMB

SPATIAL-TEMPORAL REASONING IN CHILDREN ENHANCED BY MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to test the hypothesis that music training enhances young children’s spatial-temporal reasoning.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 78 preschool children. 34 students received piano keyboard music lessons, 20 students received private computer lessons, and 24 children provided other nonspecified controls. Four standardized, age-calibrated, spatial reasoning tests were given before and after training; one test assessed spatial-temporal reasoning and three tests assessed spatial recognition.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that this suggests that music training produces long-term modifications in underlying neural circuitry in regions not primarily concerned with music. The researchers reported that there was a significant improvement on the spatial-temporal test portion for the group that received keyboard musical training, but there was not a significant improvement for the keyboard group, or any other group, on the spatial recognition test. The magnitude of the spatial-temporal improvement from keyboard training was greater than one standard deviation of the standardized test and lasted at least one day, a duration traditionally classified as long-term.

Citation

Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., Levine, L. J., Wright, E. L., Dennis, W. R., & Newcomb, R. L. (1997). Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children’s spatial-temporal reasoning. Neurological research, 19(1), 2–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616412.1997.11740765

JM CHEEK, L R SMITH

IMPROVED MATHEMATICAL TEST SCORES RESULTING FROM STUDENTS TAKING MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers studied mathematic test scores from Iowa basic skills tests. There were two sub-studies conducted. The first sub-study compared the mathematics test scores of students who were given private music lessons versus those who were not given private music lessons. The second sub-study compared the scores of students who received keyboard music lessons versus those who did not receive keyboard music lessons.

Details about the study

The researchers in this article studied the test results from students on the Iowa test of basic skills. They studied the test scores of 8th graders. Their main focus was on mathematic test scores.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that students who had private lessons for two or more years performed significantly better on the composite mathematics portion of the ITBS than did students who did not have private lessons. They also concluded that students who received lessons on the keyboard had significantly higher ITBS mathematics scores than did students whose lessons did not involve the keyboard.

Citation

Cheek, J. M., & Smith, L. R. (1999). Music training and mathematics achievement. Adolescence, 34(136), 759–761.

FRANCES H. RAUSCHER, MARY ANN ZUPAN

CHILDREN’S SPATIAL-TEMPORAL PERFORMANCE IS ENHANCED BY MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to learn if keyboard music lessons resulted in improved performance on spatial-temporal tasks and memorization skills for young children.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 62 kindergartners. The children were assigned to one of two conditions, keyboard or no music. All children were pretested with two spatial-temporal tasks and one pictorial memory task. The keyboard group was provided with 20-min lessons two times per week in groups of approximately ten children. Children were then retested at two 4-month intervals.

Conclusion

The study showed that kindergarten children that received keyboard instruction scored significantly higher than the children who received no instruction on both spatial-temporal tasks after four months of lessons, and the difference was even greater after eight months of lessons.

Citation

Frances H Rauscher, Mary Anne Zupan. (2000). Classroom keyboard instruction improves kindergarten children’s spatial-temporal performance: A field experiment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 215-228,
ISSN 0885-2006.

THE JOURNAL OF AESTHETIC EDUCATION

STUDY SHOWS THAT LEARNING TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT ENHANCES SPATIAL REASONING

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to find how music lessons affect spatial reasoning, which is the ability to think about and manipulate objects in three dimensions.

Details about the study

This meta-analytic review analyzes 15 studies that concluded improved spatial reasoning skills resulted from music instruction in preschool and elementary children. The studies were conducted on preschool and elementary children over several years, with multiple findings.

Conclusion

This analysis provides support for the hypothesis that not only spatial-temporal, but also other spatial tasks requiring spatial memory, spatial recognition, mental rotation, and/or spatial visualization may be enhanced by music instruction. It concluded that music instruction does appear to enhance spatial-temporal performance for preschool and elementary-age children, at least while instruction occurs and at least up through two years of instruction.

Citation

FINE MOTOR ABILITIES IMPROVED IN CHILDREN WHO TOOK MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to determine if practicing a musical instrument would lead to improved fine motor skills.

Details about the study

The researchers divided children into two groups (number of children not given). One group received two years of piano instruction, and the other group did not receive any music instruction.

Conclusion

The researchers discovered that the group of children who took piano lessons for two years significantly improved fine motor skills. The study stated, “Music performance requires accurate and quick motor reactions to visual, aural, and kinesthetic stimuli. When performers practice their instruments, they receive immediate and consistent aural feedback about their motor response to such stimuli.”

Citation

Costa-Giomi, Eugenia. (2006). Does Music Instruction Improve Fine Motor Abilities? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1060. 262-4. 10.1196/annals.1360.053.

PUHAN, M. A., SUAREZ, A., LO CASCIO, C., ZAHN, A., HEITZ, M., & BRAENDLI, O

PLAYING THE DIDGERIDO HELPS ALLEVIATE THE SYMPTOMS OF SLEEP APNEA

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to study the effects of didgeridoo playing on daytime sleepiness and other sleep-related issues by reducing the collapsibility of the upper airways in patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and snoring.

Details about the study

The researchers used a randomized control trial in this study. Twenty-five sleep apnea patients, all over 18 years of age, were the participants in this study. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group received didgeridoo lessons for four months. The second group was on the waiting list for didgeridoo lessons. Participants in the didgeridoo group practiced an average of 5.9 days a week for 25.3 minutes.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that regular didgeridoo playing is an effective treatment alternative well accepted by patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The reason appears to be related to how didgeridoo playing exercises the upper airways.

E. GLENN SCHELLENBERG, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO AT MISSISSAUGA

THE MANY BENEFITS MUSIC LESSONS HAVE ON SCHOOL GRADES AND OVERALL IQ

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to learn if long-term music lessons significantly affected IQ and academic performance in different age groups (young children and young adults).

Details about the study

The study was conducted on two groups of students: College freshmen, and children ranging in age from 6 to 11 years of age. The children were evaluated on their academic achievements, school grades, and an IQ test. In the children’s group, more than half had taken music lessons in some fashion. The college freshmen group was given an IQ test and also presented their high school grades. The college freshmen group also disclosed the number of years they had received music instruction, and how many years they consistently played an instrument.

Conclusion

The study results for the younger group showed that for every month of music instruction, there was an increase in IQ of one-sixth of a point. The study implied that six years of music lessons was associated with an increase in IQ of 7.5 points compared to children who never received music lessons. The results for the college students showed that six years of playing music regularly as a child predicted an increase of two points in IQ over their peers. For the college freshmen who received music lessons, there was an increase in perceptual organization, working memory, and average high school grades.

Citation

Schellenberg, E. G. (2006). Long-term positive associations between music lessons and IQ. Journal of educational psychology, 98(2), 457.

JAYNE M. STANDLEY

BENEFITS OF MUSIC LESSONS ON READING IMPROVEMENT

What the study wanted to learn

The researcher wanted to study whether or not music lessons help children with reading and comprehension.

Details about the study

This article highlighted the meta-analysis of 30 studies using a variety of music interventions to affect reading skills.

Conclusion

The researcher found that the music activities that pair alphabet recognition with phonetic patterns, incorporate word segmentation and sound blending skills, and promote rapid decoding skills are effective in enhancing reading instruction. Benefits are greater when the special music reading activities are added to an existing music education curriculum. The research concluded that all schedules of intervention are equally effective regardless of whether daily, intense, short-term, or weekly periodic interventions spread across the school year.

GRUNWALD ASSOCIATES LLC

THE MANY BENEFITS OF SINGING IN A CHOIR

What the study wanted to learn

The study examined the perceived benefits of singing for adults, including mental health and civic engagement. The study was built on a 2009 Chorus Impact Study focused on children and adults. This specific study pertained to the lives of older adults.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on over 2,000 singers in choruses of all kinds, 500 members of the general public, 500 parents, and 300 K-12 educators from throughout the United States using online surveys.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that there are four main takeaways from this study. 1. Choral singing continues to be the most popular form of participation in the performing arts. 2. Adults who sing in choruses are remarkably good citizens. 3. Children who sing in choruses have academic success and valuable life skills. 4. The decline in choral singing opportunities for children and youth is a key area of concern.

DARBY E. SOUTHGATE, VINCENT J. ROSIGNO

CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ENHANCED BY MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The study sought to determine whether or not there was an association between music involvement and academic achievement for school-aged children.

Details about the study

The study used three measures of music participation: in school, outside of school, and parental involvement with concert attendance.

Conclusion

The study concluded that music participation, both inside and outside of school, is associated with improved academic achievement for children and teenagers.

BRENDA HANNA-PLADDY AND ALICIA MACKAY

BETTER BRAIN FUNCTIONING AT ANY AGE FROM LEARNING TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT

What the study wanted to learn

The study sought to identify whether music instruction could enhance successful cognitive aging. Cognitive aging is the decline in cognitive processing as people age.

Details about the study

Seventy older healthy adults (ages 60–83) varying in musical activity completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The groups (nonmusicians, low and high activity musicians). Nonmusicians were grouped on age, education, and history of physical exercise. Musicians were grouped by age of instrumental acquisition and formal years of musical training. Musicians were classified in the low (1–9 years) or high (>10 years) activity group based on years of musical experience throughout their life span.

Conclusion

The results of this study revealed that elderly participants with at least ten years of musical experience performed better in nonverbal memory and other mental processes than non-musicians. The study suggested that music lessons appear to cause an increase in verbal working memory and improved brain functioning at any age. The studies also demonstrate that the benefits of learning and playing an instrument are not completely dependent on the level of education the musician has achieved. Various benefits of learning an instrument occur at any age in life.

Citation

Hanna-Pladdy, B., & MacKay, A. (2011). The relation between instrumental musical activity and cognitive aging. Neuropsychology, 25(3), 378–386. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021895

BENJAMIN RICH ZENDEL, CLAUDE ALAIN

MUSIC LESSONS HELP REDUCE THE DECLINE IN HEARING AS WE AGE

What the study wanted to learn

Details about the study

The study was conducted on two groups of individuals: 74 lifelong musicians, and 89 nonmusicians ranging in age from 18 to 91.

Conclusion

Citation

Zendel, B. R., & Alain, C. (2012). Musicians experience less age-related decline in central auditory processing. Psychology and aging, 27(2), 410–417. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024816

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to learn if just a few years of music lessons early in life could improve listening skills later in life.

Details about the study

The researchers in this study compared the benefits of three groups: those with some music lessons, those with many years of music lessons, and those with no music lessons. Many prior studies looked at the benefits of long-term musical instruction, but they didn’t analyze the benefits of just a few years of music instruction. For both of the groups with experience, the average age at which they started playing an instrument was roughly nine years old. Participants were placed in a soundproof booth, and electrodes were placed on their heads that could read signals emitted by their auditory brainstems.

Conclusion

By measuring signals emitted by the auditory brainstems of the participants, the researchers found that although the signals detected from the most experienced musicians showed the most robust response to the sounds, participants with just one to five years of music lesson experience showed significantly greater cognitive ability as compared to the group with no music instructional experience. The researchers concluded that playing music for just a few years as a child seems to be linked with better listening skills much later on.

SWATHI SWAMINATHAN, JINI K. GOPINATH

THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC LESSONS ON ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers in this study wanted to determine whether or not music lessons had an effect on learning a second language, and more specifically, English as a second language.

Details about the study

In this study, primary school children were divided into two groups: Those taking music lessons, and those who did not. The participants in the study were tested on the verbal subscales of the Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC) and an English word-reading test.

Conclusion

The results showed that the musically trained participants performed significantly better on the tests of comprehension and vocabulary. The researchers concluded that this result is in line with the hypothesis that music and language share processing resources, as a result of which transfer of learning takes place.

Citation

Swaminathan, S., Gopinath, J.K. Music Training and Second-Language English Comprehension and Vocabulary Skills in Indian Children. Psychol Stud 58, 164–170 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-013-0180-3

EXTENDED MUSIC EDUCATION ENHANCES THE QUALITY OF SCHOOL LIFE

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to learn how music lessons affected children socially.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on children ranging from the age of 8 to 17. Outcomes were measured at age 17 and include cognitive skills, school marks, personality traits (conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, and perceived control), time-use, ambition, and optimism about future success.

Conclusion

The researchers in this study found that musical instruction did provide measurable social benefits. They concluded that pupils in the classes with extended music education were generally more satisfied with school life than pupils in the classes with a normal music education curriculum. They also discovered that students in the EM classes also found that school provided them with achievement and opportunity more often than the pupils in the N classes. The most striking differences between these groups were found in the classroom climate, a novel factor designed for this study.

Citation

Päivi-Sisko Eerola & Tuomas Eerola (2014) Extended music education enhances the quality of school life, Music Education Research, 16:1, 88-104, DOI: 10.1080/14613808.2013.829428

EUGENIA COSTA-GIOMI

MUSIC LESSONS AND THE POSITIVE EFFECT ON SELF-ESTEEM

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to measure how music lessons affect children’s self-esteem.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 117 fourth-grade children attending public schools in Montreal. They were divided into two groups. The first group (63), received individual piano lessons weekly for three years. The second group (54), did not receive any music instruction. Participants were administered tests of self-esteem, academic achievement, cognitive abilities, musical abilities, and motor proficiency at the beginning of the project and throughout the three years of piano instruction.

Conclusion

The study found that piano instruction had a positive effect on children’s self-esteem and school music marks. The study demonstrated that there are specific benefits associated with piano instruction. The increase in self-esteem in the children who completed three years of piano instruction was significant while the changes in self-esteem of those who never participated in piano instruction or who dropped out of the lessons were negligible.

THE GERMAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC PANEL STUDY AT DIW BERLIN

HOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE SKILLS IS ENHANCED BY LEARNING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to learn if children who take music lessons at an early age experienced neurological benefits from music lessons.

Details about the study

The longitudinal study was conducted on children who received music lessons as compared to those who did not. The study was not measuring one specific benefit. Rather, it was looking at a wide array of possible benefits from music lessons. This study examines how long-term music training during childhood and youth affects the development of cognitive skills, school grades, personality, time use, and ambition using representative data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

Conclusion

This extensive longitudinal study showcases the many neurological benefits for children from taking music lessons at a young age. The study found that kids who take music lessons have improved cognitive skills and school grades and tend to be more conscientious, open, and ambitious.

The following is a list of the many benefits of taking music lessons at a young age:

1. Improved reading and verbal skills
2. Improved mathematical and spatial-temporal reasoning
3. Improved grades
4. Improved IQ
5. Improved language acquisition
6. Improved listening skills
7. Slows the effects of aging
8. Strengthens your motor cortex
9. Improved working memory
10. Improved long-term memory for visual stimuli
11. Better anxiety management
12. Enhanced self-confidence and self-esteem
13. Improved creativity

MASOUD AZIZINEZHAD, MASOUD HASHEMI, AND SOHRAB DARVISHI

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH MUSIC AND ITS EFFECT ON INTELLECTUAL, SOCIAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

What the study wanted to learn

The aim of this paper is to consider what we know about the ways that transfer can occur in relation to the skills developed through active engagement with music and how they may impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people.

Details about the study

The paper is a synthesis of many studies conducted on the effects of musical training and lessons on the development of young people. No new individual study was conducted.

Conclusion

The various benefits of music lessons on the brain are summarized as follows: In early childhood, there appear to be benefits for the development of perceptual skills, which affect learning a language and impact literacy. Music lessons appear to help people develop rhythmic coordination. Music lessons were shown to enhance fine motor skills. Those who took music lessons had improved spatial reasoning, which is related to some of the skills required in mathematics. Musical training enhanced people’s self-perception, self-esteem, and self-confidence.

Citation

Azizinezhad, Masoud & Hashemi, Masoud & Darvishi, Sohrab. (2013). Music as an Education-related Service to Promote Learning and Skills Acquisition. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. 93. 142-145. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.09.167.

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

STUDY SHOWS MUSIC LESSONS EARLY IN LIFE HELPS OLDER PEOPLE PROCESS SPEECH BETTER LATER IN THEIR LIVES

What the study wanted to learn

Researchers wanted to learn how music lessons in early life affected people later in their lives. A person’s nervous system deteriorates as they age, resulting in elderly people having difficulty understanding and picking up on fast-changing speech. The researchers wanted to find out if people who took music lessons during their lives performed better in understanding speech, especially in challenging environments.

Details about the study

Forty-four older adults, ages 55–76, were used in the study. All subjects had normal hearing. The participants were divided into three groups based on the amount of music training they had in their lives. To compare groups’ neural representations of speech, scalp electrodes were used to measure auditory brainstem responses to different sounds.

Conclusion

A greater amount of music training early in life was associated with the most efficient auditory function, even decades after music lessons stopped. The researchers believe it may be that early music instruction instills a fixed change in the central auditory system that is retained throughout life. This study shows that children who accomplish as little as 20 days of music training will experience improved verbal IQ scores and enhanced executive function of the brain.

ARNAUD CABANAC, LEONID PERLOVSKY, MARIE-CLAUDE BONNIOT, MICHAEL CABANAC.

STUDYING MUSIC RESULTS IN BETTER GRADES IN ALL SUBJECTS

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to find out if students’ grades improved if they chose to take a music elective.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on students from a secondary school in the province of Québec, Canada. The students were members of the International Baccalaureate program. They were selected in their first year of secondary school based on their high grades in previous years. Music was compulsory during the first two years of their secondary school curriculum, with two courses taking nine days per period.

Conclusion

The study showed that the students’ average grades who had chosen a music course in their curriculum were higher than those who had not chosen music as an optional course. It also demonstrated that students taking music lessons achieve better performance in many academic subjects. The study stated that students who studied music performed better, even if those who had not studied music had equally high initial achievements.

JENNIFER ZUK, CHRISTOPHER BENJAMIN, ARNOLD KENYON, & NADINE GAAB

THE LINK BETWEEN MUSICAL TRAINING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS SKILLS

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to investigate the relationship between musical training and executive function (EF) in children and adults. Executive functions encompass several cognitive processes that allow for independent and self-regulated behavior, such as inhibition, problem-solving, goal-directed behavior, maintenance of information in working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 30 adults between 18 and 35 and 27 children between 9 and 12. Half of the participants were “musical.” The adult musicians either were seeking or had obtained a performance degree and practiced at least eight hours a week. The children had been taking private instrumental lessons for an average of 5.2 years.

Conclusion

In this study, researchers found that there were differences in brain activation between child musicians and non-musicians. They found more activation in areas of the brain called the “CEO regions.” These are the frontal regions of the brain associated with executive function. The study revealed that musicians exhibited higher cognitive flexibility than non-musicians. The study also showed that adult musicians showed a more proficient working memory. The child musicians exhibited faster processing speed than their non-musician peers.

JAMES J. HUDZIAK, MD, MATTHEW D. ALBAUGH, PHD, SIMON DUCHARME, MD, ALAN C. EVANS, PHD

MUSICAL LESSONS AIDE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAIN

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to assess the extent to which playing a musical instrument is associated with cortical thickness development among healthy youths. Cortical thickness is positively associated with general intelligence.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 232 youths, ranging in age from 6 to 18 years old. Age, gender, total brain volume, and scanner were controlled for in analyses. Participants underwent MRI scanning and behavioral testing on up to 3 separate visits, occurring at 2-year intervals.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that playing a musical instrument was associated with more rapid cortical thickness maturation within areas implicated in motor planning and coordination, visuospatial ability, and emotion and impulse regulation. Brain matter increased through music lessons. The researchers also concluded that there were benefits in anxiety management and emotional control.

NINA KRAUS

MUSIC LESSONS IMPROVE PROCESSING OF SOUND AND IMPROVE SPEECH

What the study wanted to learn

The study set out to analyze the effects of music lessons on sound and speech recognition.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 50 children, ranging from 6 to 9 years old. The children were put into two groups: 1) children with one year of music lessons and 2) children with two years of music lessons.

Conclusion

The researcher discovered that learning to play an instrument strengthens the brain’s ability to capture the depth and richness of speech sounds. She also shows that music lessons improve the brain’s ability to process pitch, timing, and timbre, which helps children comprehend and process language much more efficiently.

HEEKYEONG PARK, JAMES SCHAEFFER, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – ARLINGTON

MUSICIANS HAVE MUCH MORE WELL-DEVELOPED LONG-TERM MEMORIES THAN NON-MUSICIANS

What the study wanted to learn

The study sought to discover the link between musical expertise and long-term memory by studying the brains of professional musicians.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 15 non-musicians and 14 trained musicians. The trained musicians had been playing classical music for more than 15 years. The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) technology to measure electrical activity of neurons in the subjects’ brains and noted processing differences in the frontal and parietal lobe responses.

Conclusion

The study found that the classically music trained participants performed far better than non-musicians on working memory tests. They also discovered that on long term memory tests, musicians registered increased sensitivity with regards to memory for pictures. Non-musicians did not demonstrate this.

NINA KRAUS, JANE HORNICKEL, DANA L. STRAIT, JESSICA SLATER AND ELAINE THOMPSON NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

MUSICAL TRAINING HAS A BIOLOGICAL EFFECT ON CHILDREN’S DEVELOPING NERVOUS SYSTEMS

What the study wanted to learn

The study sought to discover if community music programs enhance brain function, especially for at-risk children.

Details about the study

The researchers teamed up with the Harmony Project, a community music program serving low-income children in Los Angeles. Children between the ages of 6 and 9 participated in the study. The research team traveled to Los Angeles to evaluate them as they enrolled in Harmony Project’s programs and returned each summer for the following two years to evaluate them longitudinally. Researchers use a neural probe that allowed them to gauge speech processing.

Conclusion

The researchers found that students who played instruments in class had more improved neural processing than the children who attended the music appreciation group. This demonstrated that children who took music lessons had a biological effect on their developing nervous systems. The effects were not the same for children who just listened to music without taking music lessons.

SUSAN HALLAM, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

THE MULTITUDE OF BENEFITS FROM TAKING MUSIC LESSONS THROUGHOUT AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFETIME

What the study wanted to learn

The paper wanted to analyze empirical evidence relating to the effects of active engagement with music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people.

Details about the study

This article highlights many studies and research conducted over many years. It draws on research using the most advanced technologies to study the brain, in addition to quantitative and qualitative psychological and educational studies. No new research was conducted.

Conclusion

The article is a broad report of many studies and research that show the multifaceted benefits of receiving music instruction over the course of one’s life. The many benefits include:

1. Development of perceptual skills that affect learning a language and impact literacy
2. Improved rhythmic co-ordination
3. Improved fine motor co-ordination
4. Improved spatial reasoning

AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS

STUDENTS WITH 4 YEARS OF ARTS AND MUSIC LESSONS SCORE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ON SAT SCORES

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to determine if children who took music lessons in high school scored higher on SAT tests.

Details about the study

The study looked at data from The College Board from 1999-2015. The students in the study belonged to one of two groups. The first group comprised students who took music lessons for 4 years in high school. The second group consisted of students who took a half year or less of music instruction.

Conclusion

The researchers found overwhelming evidence that students who took 4 years of high school music lessons outperformed the nonmusic lesson students on their SAT scores. The critical reading and mathematics portion of the SAT were included, and the writing section of the SAT was excluded. Every year from 1999-2015 demonstrated the SAT score advantage for students taking music lessons.

CLÉMENT FRANÇOIS, JENNIFER GRAU-SÁNCHEZ, ESTHER DUARTE, ANTONI RODRIGUEZ-FORNELLS

THE MANY BENEFITS OF MUSICAL LESSONS FOR NEURO-EDUCATION AND NEURO-REHABILITATION

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to learn the effects of musical training on neuro-education and neuro-rehabilitation by analyzing previous studies.

Details about the study

This report is a comprehensive review of multiple studies done over many years. The researchers have summarized several studies with a couple of themes in mind. No individual study was conducted by the authors. The researchers in this article focus on the recent gains in the fields of cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience and their contributions to our knowledge of brain function.

Conclusion

The researchers created a report that highlighted several studies that all showed the positive effects of music lessons on various areas of brain functioning. In the first section of their report, they highlighted several studies showing that learning to play a musical instrument can induce substantial neuroplastic changes in cortical and subcortical regions of motor, auditory and speech processing networks in a healthy population. In the second section of their report, they provided an overview of the evidence showing that musical training can be an alternative, low-cost and effective method for the treatment of language-based learning impaired populations. In the third section of their report, they provided the results of studies showing that training with musical instruments can have positive effects on motor, emotional, and cognitive deficits observed in patients with non-communicable diseases such as stroke or Parkinson’s Disease. All of these studies and results help favor the idea that the structural, multimodal, and emotional properties of musical training can play an important role in developing new, creative, and cost-effective intervention programs for education and rehabilitation in the near future.

E. GLENN SCHELLENBERG, KATHLEEN A. CORRIGALL, SEBASTIAN P. DYS, TINA MALTI

GROUP MUSIC TRAINING AND CHILDREN’S PROSOCIAL SKILLS

What the study wanted to learn

The researcher wanted to investigate if group music training in childhood is associated with prosocial skills.

Details about the study

Children in 3rd or 4th grade who attended 10 months of music lessons taught in groups were compared to a control group of children matched for socio-economic status.

Conclusion

Music group training in childhood is associated with increased prosocial skills. Results show that children who took 10 months of group music lessons had larger increases in sympathy and prosocial behavior compared to a control group matched for socio-economic status. The effect was only seen in children with poor prosocial skills initially and was evident even with compulsory lessons, suggesting group music training can improve prosocial skills.

BELGIAN RESEARCHERS MARIE-EVE JORET, FILIP GERMEYS, YORI GIDRON

STUDY REVEALS THAT CHILDREN WITH MUSICAL TRAINING TEND TO FOCUS AND TUNE OUT DISTRACTIONS BETTER

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to find out if musical training affects a person’s (specifically children’s) ability to focus.

Details about the study

This study measured and compared “cognitive inhibition” in children who did and did not have music training. Cognitive inhibition is a person’s ability to concentrate and tune out distractions. The study was conducted by Belgian researchers and was performed on 9 to 12-year-olds with and without musical training.

Conclusion

The study showed that children with musical training performed significantly better in tasks that required focus. The likely reason is music practice requires focus, and practicing a musical instrument daily trains a child to focus on other tasks, as well.

JOHN DANI

LEARNING TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT IS MUCH MORE BENEFICIAL THAN JUST LISTENING TO MUSIC

What the study wanted to learn

The study was conducted to verify the hypothesis that receiving music lessons is more beneficial than merely listening to music.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on people ranging from 60 to 85 who began taking piano lessons.

Conclusion

The researchers concluded that after six months, those who had received piano lessons showed more gains in memory, verbal fluency, the speed at which they processed information, planning ability, and other cognitive functions, as compared with those who had not received music lessons.

XIA GUO, CHIE OHSAWA, AKIKO SUZUKI, KAORU SEKIYAMA

SHORT TERM INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TRAINING IMPROVES WORKING MEMORY IN CHILDREN

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers in this study wanted to analyze the effects of short-term musical training, versus all of the previous studies that have focused on long-term instrumental training.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 40 children, ranging in age from 6 to 8 years old. The children were placed in one of two groups: One group received a 6-week (12-session) keyboard harmonica curriculum, and the other received no training. One interesting note – the musical training did not use traditional instrumental training, the curriculum did not use musical scores to emphasize creating an association between sound (auditory modality) and finger movement (somatomotor system). The researchers used cognitive measurements including verbal ability, processing speed, working memory, and inhibitory control, which were administered before and after the curriculum in both groups.

Conclusion

After the 6-week-study, the researchers reported an improvement in working memory. The working memory results were very evident, suggesting that even a short period of instrumental training will improve working memory.

M. ELLIOT, P. GARDNER, M. NARUSHIMA, L. MCCLEARY

THE ROLE AND MEANING OF MUSIC FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH DEMENTIA

What the study wanted to learn

From an insider’s perspective, this multiple case study explored the role and meaning of music for individuals with dementia who are aging in place.

Details about the study

The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews, observations, and videos of older adults with dementia. The study’s central theme is a connection, with three types of “connectors” – self, partner, and music – as subthemes. Connection to self involves present moment awareness, accessing memories, and self-expression. Connection to partner builds on self-connection and spending time together with music. Lastly, the connection to music builds on the previous two subthemes and the desire to keep things normal. This study provides insight into the growing body of interdisciplinary literature dedicated to dementia, music, aging in place, and contemplative practices, as well as implications for aging and caring for someone with dementia.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that music offers organization of thoughts, and acts as an anchor to the present moment for individuals with dementia. Music also acts as a catalyst for connection between the person with dementia and their partner, through embodied selfhood. Lastly, our findings support the positive aspects of the experience of music and dementia (enhanced feelings of well-being, increased social interactions, heightened sense of empowerment and control).

ARTHUR C. JASCHKE, HENKJAN HONING, ERIK J. A. SCHERDER

IMPROVEMENTS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE BRAIN FROM TAKING MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to study the effects of long-term music education on cognitive abilities and academic achievement in children.

Details about the study

The study was conducted on 174 primary school children. Participants were randomized into two music intervention groups, one active visual arts group, and a no arts control group. Neuropsychological tests assessed verbal intelligence and executive functions. Additionally, a national pupil monitor provided data on academic performance.

Conclusion

The study’s results indicate a positive influence of long-term music education on cognitive abilities such as inhibition and planning. This study supports a far transfer effect from music education to academic achievement mediated by executive sub-functions. Test scores on inhibition, planning, and verbal intelligence increased significantly in the children who received music instruction.

MIT (MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)

STUDY LINKS MUSIC LESSONS WITH BETTER LANGUAGE SKILLS

What the study wanted to learn

The study wanted to determine whether music lessons improve general cognitive ability, leading to better language proficiency, or if the effect of music is more specific to language processing.

Details about the study

This study was conducted in Beijing, China. The children were 4 or 5 years old. Their native language was Mandarin. The 74 children participating in the study were divided into three groups: one that received 45-minute piano lessons three times a week; one that received extra reading instruction for the same period of time; and one that received neither intervention. After six months, the researchers tested the children and analyzed the results.

Conclusion

The study found that learning music helps to improve language skills. The study concluded that music lessons are as useful (perhaps more useful) than additional reading lessons. Researchers have found that piano lessons have a specific effect on kindergartners’ ability to distinguish different pitches, which translates into an improvement in discriminating between words.

GUHN, M., EMERSON, S. D., & GOUZOUASIS, P.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO TAKE MUSIC LESSONS PERFORM BETTER ACADEMICALLY THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT TAKE MUSIC LESSONS

What the study wanted to learn

Researchers wanted an extensive look into the positive effects of music lessons and their correlation to enhanced academic achievement.

Details about the study

The study corrected for prior performance and socioeconomic factors. The study was conducted on over 100,000 students at public high schools across the province of British Columbia. The students graduated between the years of 2012 to 2015. More than 15,000 were taking music lessons during their years in high school.

Conclusion

The study concluded that high school students who take music lessons perform much better academically in English, Science, and Math. The researchers also discovered that those who took music lessons outperformed those students who just sang in a choir. Possible explanations for this cause and effect were given, but the study did not specifically address the cause for the increase in academic achievement, just that the results showed a strong correlation.

THOMAS E. KLOSS, DONGKUK LIM

FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR COLLEGE FROM TAKING MUSIC LESSONS IN ADOLESCENCE

What the study wanted to learn

The researchers wanted to explore the relationship between the costs of private music lessons and college scholarships received.

Details about the study

The researchers controlled for three socioeconomic factors – parent income level, parent education level, and parent’s music background. The study was conducted by administering a survey to 126 music ensemble students at two state universities. The students were asked to describe the costs and benefits of music lessons and report how much music-related college scholarship money they were receiving.

Conclusion

The researchers report in this study that there is a positive correlation between the total amount spent on music lessons prior to college and the total amount a student receives for financial assistance for college. The data showed that for every dollar spent by the student on pre-college music lessons, they received 11 cents for music merit-based scholarship in their freshmen year at college.