If you are a regular reader of this blog, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious how much of an effect music can have on a developing mind. Benefits can be reaped from just listening to the right kind of music while you study new material, while others come from the physical act of playing. And there are even subsets of these benefits, with some coming from practice and being part of a group, and others coming from the brain learning to improvise on the fly. We’ve looked at everything from mood enhancement to actual, physical changes in the brain as a result of a music education. And while we’ve spent a lot of time talking about how it is never too late to gain a lot of these benefits, the fact is you get more out of music the earlier your education in it begins; simply put, children can gain much more over the course of their lives from listening to and playing music than someone who comes to the art much later in life. With that undeniable fact in mind, this week we are going to steady our focus directly on the developing mind of a child, and the wide range of important skills they can develop and improve through an early introduction to music.
Because this can be such a huge topic to grapple with, let’s break it down into three major areas of importance.
- Learning Preparation
First and foremost, music lessons help the developing mind prepare to learn. This happens through a number of ways, starting with improving fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the small, controlled muscle movements most of us take for granted. They allow us to write, type on a keyboard or move a mouse, and countless other daily activities, both in and outside the classroom. Studies have shown that musical instruction at a young age helps to develop the part of the brain associated with sensory and motor function. Further studies have confirmed that musically trained children have improved motor function and control over their musically-challenged peers.
Another way music helps prep a developing brain for learning is by giving the brain an early prompt for concepts they will explore later in life. The argument could be made that music prepares students socially for later challenges, but in this case, science is a little more specific. Music can be looked at through the lens of mathematics, and recent studies have strongly suggested that students who take music in middle school tend to score much higher than their peers who didn’t; again. This is because practicing music strengthens the parts of the brain that are used when processing and solving complex math problems, and these students minds were already used to using that part of their brain.
Next up is working memory, also known as short-term memory. Working memory is is used to hold, control, and work information while reasoning and problem solving. An education in music can help improve working memory well above and beyond those who do not play, yet again. Time and time again musicians have exhibited an improved ability to maintain mental control during memory recall tests. Researchers are in agreement that this most likely comes from their long history of musical training.
Lastly, playing music helps to build up the brain’s critical thinking and abstract reasoning skills. Both of these skills are vitally important to processing information, applying knowledge, and visualizing solutions to problems. Research in this area is still expanding, but a study performed in 2000 clearly showed that children who took piano or keyboard lessons had much better abstract reasoning skills than their peers, and these skills continued to improve with their musical training.
- Academic Achievement
Once all that prep work for the brain is done, it’s time for some actual learning. Music lessons have been shown to result in overall success in school, including improved marks and SAT scores. As with the last category, music works on the brain in a number of different ways to help attain this success. The first is improved recall and retention of information delivered verbally. If you think about it, it becomes obvious, but no less remarkable; music training helps to develop the part of the brain responsible for remembering information heard, rather than read, which is the foundation of an education in any subject. Music students who’s verbal memory have been tested consistently scored better than non-music students.
The next benefit is the other side of the math coin we discussed earlier. The foundation for increased math skills laid down by a musical education continues to be built upon with musical training. Studies have shown that music student only get better at math as they go. More significantly, these advantages happen regardless of socio-economic status, ethnicity, or location.
Another benefit to academic achievement that comes from music lesson is improved reading and English skills. Most likely a result of learning to read music (which is, in essence, another language), music students exhibit writing, reading, and comprehension skills far superior to their peers. And once again, these skills continue to increase over time with continued musical training.
And what do improved English and math skills lead to? Improved SAT skills of course! While not as common in Canada as it is in the US, the SAT is designed to test a student’s “readiness” for a post-secondary education. A study done in 2000 looked at 10 years of SAT scores, and found that students who took four years of art classes in high school performed better on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT than their peers. Of these students, the study found that those that took music courses scored the highest in math, and the second highest for verbal.
- Life Beyond School
All the benefits that music can bring to a student’s education are amazing and undeniably great for their future, but music lessons can help develop other skills that are important in school, but much more important in the everyday world that comes after graduation. One example of this is a sharp and focused attention. Paying attention is a little skill with big consequences, it begins to develop in early childhood, and continues to be polished throughout life. Music lessons at a young age can help improve attention, and continuing musical training through adolescence and beyond helps to strengthen it. Being able to maintain your attention is a valuable skill for the classroom, behind the wheel of a car, or in a high-powered corporate boardroom; in other words, it is essential to success no matter where they end up.
Another valuable life skill improved through music is perseverance. Like so many of the other attributes we’ve talked about so far, music students exceed their peers on tests measuring perseverance. At its heart, perseverance is the combination of motivation, commitment, and persistence, all of which are acquired through music, and are hallmarks of creative minds. Which brings us to our next life skill; creativity.
Creativity is consistently cited as one of the top five skills important for success in the workforce, and music lessons can help cultivate it. Music teaches originality, flexibility, and innovation, all key elements of the creative mind.
And lastly, as we discussed over the last two week in And the Beat Goes On: Music & Concentration, and Build Self-Esteem Through Music, music supports better study habits and promotes higher self-esteem. Both of these traits are typical of music students and can generalize to other areas of their lives, including their academic and social lives.
The benefits of starting your child in music lessons young are overwhelming. The only real downsides are that it is difficult to get good, and practice can be monotonous. But even those “downsides” work towards building important life skills. If you want your children to put their best food forward into life, look into local music programs to help give their developing mind every advantage.
