Can Music Education Change Kids’ Brains?
Science shows that music can change kids’ brains, but there’s a catch. It only offers academic enrichment if the child actually plays, not merely indulges in music appreciation. Researchers think that learning to play an instrument helps children develop a distinction between certain kinds of sounds, on a neurophysical level, and that this distinction assists kids with literacy and academic skills.
What can you do as a parent to take advantage of the power of music education to change your kids’ brains, and to boost their academic achievement? Forcing music classes upon children isn’t the answer, but encouragement to take up an instrument of choice goes a long way to create a love of music that hopefully will lead to voluntary involvement in music education for a lifetime.
Academic Achievement Depends on Active Learning
If children don’t want to learn an instrument, or don’t engage in classes, the benefit of music to change the brain is significantly reduced or even lost - according to a new Northwestern University study. This study says that children must become actively engaged in their music classes to reap the cognitive benefits, rather than simply sit and let the sounds surround them.
Engagement and participation is key to strengthening the brain during music education classes. The act of generating and manipulating sound is what actually rewires the brain, and this can only be done through actively working intimately with notes, chords, and melodies. The Northwestern study offered that students who played musical instruments in a classroom setting had improved neural processing, greater than children who merely attended a music appreciation group.
Science Points to Attendance, Engagement, and Participation
A research paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience points to direct evidence showing music training can biologically affect a child’s developing nervous system. Follow up research solidified speculation that the level of engagement in music education classes is what mattered, as the studies looked at children who regularly attended music classes and actively participated in their lessons. Researchers found that children who had a combination of regular attendance, active engagement, and willing participation in music classes improved their speech processing and reading scores dramatically and more than their peers who were less involved.
Playing a musical instrument is extremely important for kids in terms of improving intelligence, but the child’s eagerness to learn and soak in new information is critical. So, how do you keep kids interested in playing? You follow your intuitions as a parent, based on clues that reveal what types of instruments your child may be best suited for tactilely and with regard to personality. You ask your kids about the types of music they love, and you get them involved in wanting to know more about that music and wishing to create it on their own.
Willing and active involvement is imperative to having a child that loves playing music for a lifetime. If you want to help your child explore different types of instruments, Masters Institute of Music is here to help. We have many wonderful instructors who teach a variety of instruments, and all of them are thrilled to work with young children to help them develop of a love of learning music. Please feel free to stop into our school for more information about our children’s music education classes, or give us a call today to learn more.
