Music Enhances Brain Development

Over the year, the arts have been receiving considerable attention because of the immense benefits to the young and also the not so young. Perhaps this is why many prominent persons have been advocating for more emphasis to be placed on music in the classroom in cases where it is lacking. Among those advocating for the resuscitation of Music in the classroom are President Barack Obama and First Lady Michele Obama who have been on the forefront to the implementation of policies that will see more music being done in the school system.

These calls have come in the wake of many positive discoveries garnered through scientific studies to determine the impact of music education on the intellectual development of the young child. The benefits of Music lie far beyond those that can be seen or measured. Researchers have made positive connections with music and brain development in areas of Sensory Development, Language Development and Memory.

Music and Sensory Development

Among studies done to determine the benefits of music to brain development were those done by Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, an expert in music, neuroimaging and brain plasticity at the Harvard Medical Centre. Psychologytoday.com stated that in 2013 Schlaung reported that based on his studies it was discovered that children who were exposed to a music program at an early age demonstrate an enhanced ability to integrate sensory information from 3 senses, which are hearing, touch, and sight better than their counterparts who were not exposed. This means that children who participate in some form of music are more mentally wired to multitask, since most music requires children to use these sense at the same time.  

Additionally, Skoe & Kraus (2012) in a study to determine the impact of being exposed to music on brain development reported that adults who received some form of formal music instruction as children have a more robust brainstem than those who had no musical instruction exposure due to the discipline and brain stimulation over a period of time as they learned the instrument.

Music and Memory

Many studies have reported amazing discoveries on the impact of music and memory. Among these were research done by a team of researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine that reported valuable insights on how the brain really works to make sense of all the confusion around young children. Their research proved that music positively affects the parts of the brain that is responsible for paying attention, making reasonable predictions, and updating events in the memory as is required. This simply means that exposing your child to music at an early age will develop those areas in the brain that will help him or her to perform well in school.

Additionally, Sciencedaily.com (2006) reported that the online edition the Journal Brain stated that researchers have discovered that young children who take music lessons demonstrate far more improved brain develop and advanced memory over their counterparts who had no exposure to music training. Chan (1998) reported that after examining the brains of 60 adult who played a musical instrument as children, it was discovered that the region of their brain responsible for memory was enlarged; as such, it gave them the ability to remember 17% more than their counterparts who did not play a musical instrument during their childhood years.

As amazing as this may sound, there is far more evidence to suggest that music not only improves memory but also triggers it. Baird& Sampson (2013) posited that there is such a strong link between that music and memory. They reported that research proved that when patients who suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury were exposed to a particular music from a specific period that was forgotten, it significantly triggered their memory. This is quite ground breaking. It also proves that music can have lasting effects on the children who were exposed to it.

Adding to that, music has also been used to treat patient suffering from severe dementia or Alzheimer’s.  Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer's disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease.

Furthermore, Ho, Cheung, & Chan (2003) reported that after conducting a research of ninety (90) boys between the ages of 6 – 15, it was discovered that those who had some form of music training displayed far better retention abilities than those who were not. Adding to that, after conducting a follow up study, it was concluded that the increase verbal memory was due to the fact that there was notable neuroanatomical changes observed in the brains of the children who were taught how to play a musical instrument.

Music and language Development

Apart from aiding in sensory development and memory, researches show this valuable past time has also been found to considerably help children with language development. Maryann Harman, M.A. from earlychildhoodnews.com reported that the benefits of music to language development have been discovered long before research was done.

 Campbell (2000) also reported that that the benefits of music to young children go as far back as before birth. Based on his studies the findings suggest that children benefit from music even in their fetal form.

Additionally, according to Gordon, Jacobs,  Schuele, & McAuley, (2015), there is a link between music and language development since it helps children to significantly improve their listening skills. Listening is the single most important skill for effective development in young children and music helps with auditory discrimination.

Furthermore, exposure to music does not only help with verbal language development, but also with the grammatical and vocabulary aspect as well. Medina (1993) reported that after studying 48 2nd grade children, with very little English proficiency, it was discovered that those who were exposed to some form of music scored significantly higher than their counterparts who were not fortunate enough to be exposed to the same luxury.

Conclusion

After careful examination of all the evidence put forward in support of music as a powerful tool to enhance brain development, it can be concluded that music has its place in the life of our children. There is overwhelming evidence to prove that your child will be at a great advantage over those who were not fortunate enough to be exposed to music classes. 

If you would like to enroll your child in Austin, TX piano lessons, singing lessons, violin lessons, or something else, please get in touch!