Does Learning Music Make You Smarter?
June 8th, 2020 | 2 min read
Learning music not only helps a child’s imagination, creativity, and emotional well-being but through learning and playing a musical instrument, they will see a positive impact on other areas of their learning too.
Many studies show a correlation between musical training and academic success in children and adults. Learning to play an instrument stimulates the brain, improving functions like reasoning skills and memory, which are important for subjects like science and maths.
A Bradford primary school decided to give all its pupils up to six hours of music a week in their learning, and by doing so it dramatically improved its Sats success. They decided the improvement in their results was not down to extra maths but lots and lots of music! (you can read the full article in the Guardian here).
Can learning music help develop language skills?
Research has shown that musically educated children find it easier to process sounds and language; by understanding sound they are able to detect small differences in word syllables, making a new language easier to learn.
Musical training helps the brain work more efficiently in distinguishing split-second differences between rapidly changing sounds that are essential to processing language. It also helps people perceive sound pitches more effectively and increases their verbal memory.
Therefore, children who learn music can develop larger vocabularies, a better understanding of grammar and pick up new languages – plus they are learning the universal language of music!
Can music help with maths?
Research has shown that music activates the same areas of the brain that are used by subjects that use reasoning, such as maths. (for a great video on how music benefits the brain see here).
What music and maths do have in common is patterns - music is full of maths when you think about it. By learning about rhythm, you are exploring the way different numbers interact - musical pieces from symphonies to pop songs are built from recurring mathematical patterns and sequences.
It is the understanding of these patterns that can help children’s learning. It allows them to notice and understand links between different sequences, challenges their thought processes and increases their capacity to learn and predict.
If maths is the science of pattern, and music training increases cognitive function, the answer is yes, music can help with maths! While not everyone can agree exactly how this works, plenty of studies do show a correlation between music and improvements in mathematical abilities. Exactly how much students benefit may depend on the type of music they listen to and whether they choose to learn how to play instruments.
Read more...
Read on schoolmum.net how Learning a Musical Instrument can benefit your child
Read here ‘The importance of Music Education’.
Read more about the Benefits of Music here.
Read how the introduction of music to children helped with their concentration levels in the blog from Back Chat Brass
Experienced in marketing and PR, Sophie loves connecting with people through strategic communications and is responsible for Governance360’s marketing strategy, brand and content. An advocate of lifelong learning, in late 2020 Sophie completed the Marketing Week Mini MBA with Mark Ritson.
Graduating from Durham University with a BA in Theology, Sophie worked in events and communications, before moving into the events industry. With a sideways move into marketing for a busy agency, she has since gained over 14 years’ experience through a variety of industries and roles. Most recently she spent two years at Queen’s Award for Innovation winner Warwick Music as Marketing Manager before starting her marketing consultancy, Happy Marketer Ltd in 2021 alongside her work at Governance360.
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