Learning to Play Music Stimulates Growth in the Brain

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From a study by Amir Lahav and Gottfried Schlaug: A new imaging study shows that when we learn a new action with associated sounds, the brain quickly makes links between regions responsible for performing the action and those associated with Read More …

Music Instruction Improves SAT Scores

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Students who had 4 or more years of music instruction outperformed most other groups on the SAT exams, scoring an average of 56 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 39 points higher on the math portion Read More …

Music Instruction Improves Vocabulary

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Thanks this time goes to Deric Bownds’ Mindblog, where Dr. Bownds is aggregating research, as I am. Dr. Bownds blogged about a study by Marie Forgeard, Ellen Winner, Andrea Norton, and Gottfried Schlaug: Children who received at least three years Read More …

Learning Piano Exercises your Brain–Fast!

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From a study by Marc Bangert and Eckart O Altenmüller Results Changes in cortical activation patterns (DC-EEG potentials) induced by short (20 minute) and long term (5 week) piano learning were investigated during auditory and motoric tasks. Two beginner groups Read More …

Learning Piano Decreases Anxiety in Seniors

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From a study by Frederick Tims : The study followed various health measures in 130 people during 1998. The experimental group consisted of 61 retirees taking group keyboard lessons in Florida over a period of two 10-week semesters. The health Read More …

Classical Musicians Think Differently

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One of my friends, Keith Ray, sent me news of a study by Crystal Gibson, Bradley Folley and Sohee Park via email (excerpted below): Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called Read More …

Learning to Play Piano Improves Math Skills

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From a study by AB Graziano, M Peterson, and GL Shaw : It was predicted, based on a mathematical model of the cortex, that early music training would enhance spatial-temporal reasoning. We have demonstrated that preschool children given six months Read More …

Music Training Improves Language Development

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From a study by S Jentschke, S Koelsch, and AD Friederici : Language and music are human universals involving perceptually discrete elements organized in hierarchically structured sequences. The set of principles governing the combination of these structural elements into sequences Read More …

Classical Music and Literacy

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From Web MD : Sept. 24, 2007 — Learning music may help children’s communication skills more than studying phonics [emphasis added], according to a new study. The study shows musical training enhances the same processing skills in the brain and Read More …

Classical Music, Autism, and the Limbic System

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A study by Natalia Kleinhans, Elizabeth Aylward, and Todd Richards shows that people with autism, Asperger’s, and PDD have brains that are wired differently. Eight individuals with autism, nine with Asperger’s, and two with PDD were shown series of pictures Read More …