Music and the brain: The benefits, the power, and more.
There is little doubt that kids today have busy day-to-day schedules.
Between piles of homework and demanding academic projects, there seems to be little time for anything else. Due to the strains of academic commitments, many parents shy away from signing their children up for after-school music education programs. However, new research has supported what has long been believed in the music community: musical training can improve your children's study habits.
Early brain development:
Several parents wait for their children to get older before enrolling them in music lessons. Still, as shown in a 2009 study published in "The Journal of Neuroscience," children as young as 15 months will benefit from music education. At this young age, interactively experiencing music can lead to structural changes in the areas of the brain. The children in these programs show advancements in their listening skills and motor development. By processing sounds better, young children can later absorb their school lessons better and stay focused no matter what subject they are currently studying.
Neurological benefits:
Music, along with math, is one of the very few areas of study that stimulates the part of the brain that affects spatial-temporal reasoning. Spatial-temporal reasoning is the brain's ability to move pieces through space to solve a multi-step problem mentally. Individuals who can do this effectively are often found in career areas such as architecture, engineering, and medicine. According to a 1999 study at UCLA in California, students from low-income families who performed some form of musical study were twice as likely to excel in mathematics than their peers due to stronger spatial-temporal reasoning abilities.
Music education also helps children promote their executive function skill set. These skills are formed in the brain's frontal lobe and are crucial for academic achievement. Executive functions are used to manage our time and fine-tune our organizational skills. Children with strong executive functions can focus more in class and better organize their thoughts. A 2014 Boston Children's Hospital study compared children's cognitive abilities with at least two years of musical training and non-musicians with MRI imaging scans. The children with a musical background showed heightened function in multiple areas, including verbal fluency, memory, and mental processing.
A current crisis in music education shows a dramatic drop in the number of programs offered to students in schools across the country. School districts have scaled back their music programs or closed them altogether. To avoid the repercussions of denying children a musical education that enhances their cognitive abilities, parents need to look for music schools in the area to help their children succeed in academics and become more well-rounded individuals.
Standardized test scores:
Standardized tests are becoming more and more challenging each year. From as young as third grade, children are assessed on whether they are college-ready. Standardized tests are used to determine academic placement and the possibility of college acceptance. There have been many studies done that have correlated musical studies with higher standardized test scores.
In 2012, the College Board reported that students who participated in music programs scored 31 points higher in reading, 23 points higher in math, and 31 points higher in writing on the SATs. Disadvantaged students are shown to benefit from having exposure to structured music classes especially. In a 2007 issue of the "Journal of Research of Music Education," researchers submitted that students in high-quality music programs had higher standardized test scores across the board, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school.
All academic testing scores are higher in students with a musical background. The "Journal of Research of Music Education" also reported that students in a solid music program scored 19 percent higher on English tests and 17 percent higher on math exams. Even students in programs deemed by the journal as "low-quality" scored better in math and English examinations.
Learning disabilities:
If a child struggles academically, a parent's first thought may be to pull them out of all extracurricular activities to focus on their schoolwork. However, music can help rewire how our brains process information. Children with dyslexia and other reading problems are often found to suffer from issues with auditory processing. Since music training improves auditory processing, it can help dyslexic students create new brain pathways to process words more effectively.
Students diagnosed with ADHD have also found school successful after exposure to music. Music schools can be ideal for ADHD students since there is more room for learning in a less controlled environment. Music lessons will help the child with ADHD concentrate better as their attention span improves. Children with ADHD are also at high risk of suffering from self-esteem issues. In a 2004 study printed in the "Psychology of Music," researchers measured increases in self-esteem among students who participated in piano instruction. At the beginning of the study, two groups of students reported having the same level of self-esteem. Over three years, one group attended piano lessons weekly while the second group did not. At the end of the three years, the children who received piano lessons reported much higher levels of self-esteem than the control group.
Music training can also help in unexpected areas. For instance, playing an instrument can help improve hand-eye coordination, gross motor, and fine motor skills. Children who need occupational therapy services have improved their coordination thanks to musical training. While playing music, the student must focus on finding a steady rhythm and synchronizing their movements. Students may be asked to stomp their feet or clap their hands in time with a song.
Class engagement:
An important distinction is that for students to experience the benefits of music learning, they have to be active participants (i.e., play an instrument or sing) rather than just acting as passive listeners. A 2014 Northwestern University study found that students who regularly participate in class have stronger neural processing levels by the end of the lesson. For example, students learning to play an instrument gain more cognitive benefits than those attending a music appreciation course. The most engaged students improved their brain processes of speech and performed significantly better on reading tests.
Getting a child interested in music may seem challenging to parents; children often reject things imposed on them. The good news is several ways to help children fall in love with their lessons. Parents shouldn't force a particular instrument onto their children. The child should have a say in what instrument and style of music they'd like to play. It's also essential for the child to appreciate their teacher's instruction style and personality. Remember that the lack of positive encouragement during lessons will most likely lead to the student's disinterest in music lessons.
Finding a good music class for your children will also help them develop socially in a positive ambiance. The child will learn how to interact with other students in a social environment where they can express their creativity, learn about teamwork and connect with other students who share their same interest and passion for music. Learning to play music in a group setting requires solid collaborative skills. Each group member is expected to contribute something, and when the child succeeds in playing their part, confidence and an increased sense of belonging will flourish. The key to finding a good music school is to ensure that the education, the teachers, and the teaching methodology are the right fit for the student. A great way to increase the chances of long-term engagement is to find a music school that teaches in context, following a progressive curriculum based on contemporary and relevant music.
LIVE! School of Music is a reputable, Miami-based music school that offers an accredited curriculum in the Creative Music Industry and private instrument lessons on guitar, bass, piano, drums, keys, ukelele, and voice.
Our students gain practical and interpersonal skills through a collaborative and accredited music program that fosters creativity and musicianship.
