Music Training And Its Influence On The Brain

Music Training And Its Influence On The Brain

by

Seth Milligan

Music is one of the most rudimentary forms of communication and its impact on brain function has become more of a focal point of various scientific studies. Past research has revealed that adult musicians have different brains than adult non-musicians. Also, brain scans of child musicians before and after musical training have revealed evidence that proficiency depends on hard work, not inherent intelligence. The latest research is now showing that children and adults involved in music are giving their brains important nourishment for growth and development which supports the argument that brain differences may have more to do with their development through practice rather than innate differences.

According to some recent studies, the increase in musical activity among adults will enable more adults to remain mentally sharp all through their lives. University of Kansas researchers Alicia MacKay and Brenda Hanna-Pladdy conducted a study of different groups of 70 older adults in good health that varied in age from 60 to 83 years old. The groups included non-musicians having from one to nine years of formal musical training and individuals with ten years of formal musical playing. Their findings revealed that the more years of practice the individual was involved in, the better the cognitive performance. As well, the study showed the actively engaged musicians performed better in such areas as cognitive flexibility, non verbal memory, and brain processing speed.

Another study led by Northwestern University psychologist Alexandra Parbery- Clark compared middle-aged individuals that varied in age from 40 to 65 years old who remained musically active throughout their lives with non-musicians of the same age. The researchers found that musicians were far superior in their auditory memory and in their ability to detect auditory signals amid a noisy background. The study s report also stated that the brain functions measured by the tests typically decline as the body ages and more dramatically deteriorate in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer\’s disease. The results suggest a strong predictive effect of high musical activity throughout the lifespan on preserved cognitive functioning in advanced age. This means taking music lessons may help to slow down such conditions as Alzheimer s disease.

Studies on the impact of musical training on the development of a child s brain has revealed some very encouraging results regarding the benefits of musical training. Gottfried Schlaug of Harvard Medical School and his team of researchers tested musically untrained six-year-olds from the Boston area. Fifteen children received weekly keyboard lessons for 15 months. Sixteen children did not receive keyboard lessons. When the researchers compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans taken before and after for both groups, they found that the auditory and motor areas of the brain linked respectively with hearing and dexterity grew larger only in the trainee musicians. The musicians also outperformed in other areas related to manual dexterity and discrimination of sounds.

More scientific studies are showing that the impact of music lessons has a positive impact on both adults and children. Musical activity throughout life may make the brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging,\” says Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, PhD. \”Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older.\” The effects of musical training on young children have shown that children taking music lessons improve more on general memory skills, helps with cognitive development, and there are improvements in IQ. No matter your age, music lessons are not only fun and rewarding, but they can have positive benefits for your brain throughout your life.

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