“Music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness.”
This is according to Nina Kraus, a brain researcher at Northwestern University. The research done in her lab, as well as others across the country, suggest that music training does for the brain what exercise does for the body: it makes it stronger and healthier.
Since March is National Music in Our Schools Month, we wanted to take a closer look at exactly how music can influence learning.
There is a strong body of evidence showing that ongoing music education helps children across a wide range of criteria, including overall academic performance. Brigid Finucane, an Early Childhood Music Instructor at the Merit School of Music in Chicago, describes the positive effects that she has seen as a result of music education:
“Formal music instruction requires focus, discipline and determination – excellent qualities which are often transferred into other areas of the student’s life. Beat and rhythms are key components in music.
Children who can maintain a steady beat have a greater fluency in their reading. The music we sing provides vocabulary enrichment, teaches tenses and plurals, uses poetic language, allows visualization, and encourages good pronunciation. Through music we learn about ourselves, our culture and that of others, science and math, creativity, jobs, the environment, celebration and emotions.”
How music can help your child learn
Music also has a positive effect on learning in the areas of math, science, language, history, motor and social skills.
So when should you start introducing your child to music education? Formal studies suggest that the greatest benefit from music education occurs when training begins before age 7
One study of children showed that 15 months of intense music training induced structural changes in the brain’s primary auditory and primary motor areas associated with improved auditory and motor skills (Psychology Today, Music Training Helps Learning and Memory).
If you’re looking for ways to increase your children’s exposure to music, check out My First Music Science Kit from MindWare. This kit equips young musicians with tools to explore the science behind music.
Kids build their own band instruments including a shaker, tambourine, gravity tube, drum, recorder and guitar. The activity guide features play instructions and experiments for each instrument, along with fun facts and tips.