Music and children: this is why it is essential to start early

Music entertains, relaxes and excites and helps to live better.

But not only that, today there are many researches that are discovering the great benefits that music lessons have on children.

A German longitudinal study from 2022 highlighted the importance of studying music:

"Music improves cognitive and non-cognitive skills more than twice as much as sports, theater or dance."

"Children who take music lessons have better cognitive skills and better school grades and are more conscientious, open and ambitious."

But that is not all. The American website mic.com has compiled a list of all the neurological benefits that music lessons can provide.

1. Improve reading skills

There are many studies that have found a link between musical and linguistic processes.

Northwestern University researchers found that the five skills underlying language acquisition - phonological awareness, sound perception, auditory memory, rhythmic perception, and the ability to learn sound patterns - are all strengthened by music lessons.

Read also: Children: Studying music for at least two years can improve language

E the children tested who make music have better reading results than those who take non-music courses.

2. Better mathematical reasoning and space-time

Music is deeply mathematical in nature. The mathematical relationships determine the intervals in the scales, the arrangement of the keys and the subdivisions of the rhythm.

Then a children who receive high-quality music training tend to perform better in math as well.

3. Improve school grades

In a 2007 study, Christopher Johnson, a professor of music education and music therapy at the University of Kansas, found that "elementary schools with high quality music education programs they scored 22% higher in English and 20% higher in math than schools with low-quality music programs. "

A Canadian study from 2022 also found the same association.

While neither of these studies can necessarily prove causation, they both show a strong correlation.

Read also: How to introduce children to music?

4. Increase the IQ

While music is primarily an emotional art form, according to a University of California study, music training actually benefits academic IQ more than emotional IQ.

Numerous studies have found that musicians generally boast higher IQs than non-musicians.

This does not mean that those who study music are necessarily more intelligent than those who do not study it, but it certainly makes a child smarter than they would have been without music studies.

5. Helps to learn languages ​​faster

Children who start learning music early develop stronger language skills. They develop more complex vocabulary and a more nuanced understanding of grammar.

These benefits not only impact first language learning, but also on children's ability to study foreign languages.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian "L'music training plays a key role in learning a foreign language, facilitates the study of grammar, vocabulary and the ability to speak ".

6. Stimulates hearing

The musical training rIt makes the ear more sensitive, which is very useful as you get older. Indeed, musicians enjoy less decline in central auditory processing. And they manage to avoid the phenomenon where older people have difficulty isolating voices from background noise.

Read also: Studying music improves listening skills

7. Slows down the effects of aging

In addition to the auditory one, musical training it can also delay the cognitive decline associated with aging

Some research positions music as an effective way to stave off dementia.

Studies carried out by the University of Emory (Atlanta, USA) have found that even if musicians stopped playing when they were older, they have better results in terms of remembering the names of objects, visuospatial memory and rapid mental processing and flexibility, compared to others who have never played. The authors of the study add, however, that to have these results, musicians must have played at least 10 years.

Read also: Those who study music as a child age better

8. Strengthens the motor cortex

All musical instruments require high levels of finger dexterity and accuracy. Practicing with a tool develops the motor cortex and the benefits extend to various non-musical skills.

Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2022 found that children who started playing before age seven perform better at even non-musical movement tasks.

9. Increase working memory

Playing requires a great deal of memorization. And the more you practice with a tool, the more your working memory (or short-term memory) gets stronger. A 2022 study found that musical practice develops the mnemonic abilities of musicians, their processing speed and their reasoning skills.

10. Increase long-term memory

Music training can also affect long-term memory, especially in the visual field.

Scientists from the University of Texas at Arlington in a study last year showed that classically trained musicians who have played for more than 15 years they scored higher on long-term memory tests.

This heightened visual mnemonic sensitivity derives from the analysis of complex musical scores. The studio did not consider musicians who play without reading music.

11. Helps manage anxiety

Analyzing the brain scans of musicians ages 6 to 18, researchers at the University of Vermont College of Medicine found a huge thickening of the cerebral cortex in areas responsible for depression, aggression and attention problems. According to the study authors, musical training "accelerated cortical organization in the areas of attention span, anxiety management and emotional control."

12. Improve self-esteem

Several studies have shown how music can improve the safety and self-esteem of children. A 2004 study divided a sample of 117 fourth-grade pupils from a Montreal public school.

One group took a weekly piano course for three years, while a second group did not take music courses.

The children who played weekly got it significantly higher scores on self-esteem tests than other pupils.

13. Makes you more creative

Creativity is notoriously difficult to scientifically measure.

But most of the research

argues that music training enhances creativity.

According to Ana Pinho, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Musicians with experience in musical improvisation have more developed activity in the brain regions associated with creativity.

Music training also improves communication between the left and right hemisphere of the brain. And studies also show that musicians perform better on divergent thinking tests, presenting more new and unexpected ways of combining information.

Read also: Playing an instrument changes brain development

TAG:

• musical education
• benefits music
• 3-5 children years