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| Musical Training and Brain Development |
| posted by: Garry | November 25, 2013, 11:29 PM |
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While many schools may be tempted to cut music programs to conserve funds, these classes prove to be worth the investment according to recent reports. Anew study released by the Society of Neuroscience corroborates the idea that music training produces many positive results in students.
For starters, music programs prove to strengthen the parts of the brain associated with creativity, memory, and reasoning. Music training also strengthens the ability to switch from different tasks. Additionally, it promotes cooperation, stimulates emotions, and triggers the pleasure part of the brain. One researcher, Yunxin Wang, from the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning at Beijing Normal University in China, examined the brains of 48 young adults who studied music. After controlling for gender and the amount of time they had trained overall, he found those who had begun musical training before age 7 had significantly more-developed brain areas associated with language and executive function. One study, by USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute is examining the effects of early musical training on low-income students. Researchers are tracking students for five years, beginning at ages 6 or 7, who have been matched in age, socioeconomic status, and prior cognitive ability. The will compare results to those who do not receive musical training but participate in sports activities at an equal intensity, while simultaneously analyzing the development of the students’ musical skills and creativity over time. While only time will demonstrate the full benefits of learning music, experts argue that music instruction is critical to brain development in young students. Gottfried Schlaug, the director of the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard Medical School, said “Having this toolbox of ways to examine creativity allows us to understand what brain regions are involved in creative thought and coming up with new ideas.” He continued, “From a broader societal perspective, it is obviously important to strengthen creativity because that is the seed for coming up with new developments, new ideas, and new tools.” What do you think about the connection between music and brain development? In your experience, do students who study music have an edge? Comment below.
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