• Skip to main content

Music School Central

Helping You Get Accepted Into Your Right-Fit Music Schools

  • Join the Waitlist
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • About

Over 71+ Studies Show Music Lessons Are the Best Thing for Your Brain

posted on April 2, 2020

Share
Tweet
Share
Pin

2. Musicians Are Human Word Processors

The New York Times cited a study back in 2013 from Northwestern University. In the study, a neurosurgeon from Northwestern observed 44 adults between the ages of 55 and 76; these adults were measured for electrical activity in a brain processing speech.

The results were intriguing; adults with at least 14 years of training in music processed speech faster than those with no musical training.

And, this didn’t have to be recent training either. In fact, the majority of the participants with a musical background had not even touched an instrument in 40 years!

Dr. Kraus, the neurosurgeon who led the study, emphasized that this research demonstrated the importance of a childhood music education in developing the brain.


1. Here Are 71+ Studies Saying Music Lessons Are the Best Thing For Your Brain

Every few weeks, a new study is popping up demonstrating the power of music lessons on the psyche of humans. While it seems like the effects are most potent on younger subjects, plenty of studies tell us that music lessons help patients of all ages.

SOURCES: Here is a list of studies, articles, and other media demonstrating how music lessons boost brain power and cognition

Music lessons help dementia patients: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31987062

MIT study links music lessons with better language skills: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180625192827.htm

Adults benefit from childhood music lessons (Northwestern University study): https://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/45/17667.short?sid=c8855982-7781-4f04-ad4b-c8a09bd1ebee

Music Lessons help you process speech faster: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/long-term-benefits-of-music-lessons.html

Musicae Scientae journal study says music lessons help you overcome distractions: https://psmag.com/news/another-brain-benefit-of-music-lessons

The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity: https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/the-benefits-of-playing-music-help-your-brain-more.html

Music protects the brain in later ages: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/1/140103-music-lessons-brain-aging-cognitive-neuroscience/#close

15 study meta-analysis of spatial improvement in students taking music lessons: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3333643?seq=1

Music Lessons Were the Best Thing Your Parents Ever Did For You, According to Science: https://www.mic.com/articles/110628/13-scientific-studies-prove-music-lessons-were-the-best-thing-your-parents-did-for-you

Music lessons raise IQ: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/mp.2011.29.2.185?seq=1

Netherlands study shows music lessons enhance executive functioning:bhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00103/full

Study shows music lessons increase ambition and school grades: https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.429221.de/diw_sp0591.pdf

Music therapy helps chemotherapy patients: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32204172

Another music lessons enhances IQ study from University of Toronto Mississauga: https://undark.org/2019/11/04/music-lessons-intelligence/

Harvard reports on a study where music lessons enhance IQ: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/03/music-lessons

Neuropsychology gives credence to music lessons providing a boost in brain function: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/04/music-lessons

University of British Columbia study shows that high school students do better with music lessons: https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaamsen/2019/06/25/high-school-students-do-better-in-science-math-and-english-if-they-also-take-music-lessons/#7fc07aed2fda

Playing music lowers blood pressure: https://liverpoolacademyofmusic.com.au/play-an-instrument-relieve-stress/

Stanford study: music makes you pay attention: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html

Musicians can hear the difference between phonological sounds better than non-musicians: https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-01/benefits-learning-and-playing-music-adults

University of Kansas study: music makes grades better: https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/the-benefits-of-music-education

Music boosts academic performance: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432813005093

University of Texas at Arlington: visual memory is better in classical musicians: https://www.mic.com/articles/104586/science-just-showed-something-amazing-about-musicians-brains

University of Texas at Austin: music lessons boost confidence: https://www.gwern.net/docs/dnb/2004-costa-giomi.pdf

Surprise! Playing music makes you more creative: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/11/25/13music.h33.html

Another study observing the power of music on cognitive performance: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1321103×09344378

Music training enhances spatial-task performance: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/3345621Music students do better in math: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10100200

Meta-analysis of 30 studies demonstrate that music helps people read better: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/8755123308322270

Adult choral singers are more likely to be involved in community service: http://www.chorusamerica.org/advocacy-research/americas-performing-art

Scientific American says music lessons makes profound changes in the brain back in 2010: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hearing-the-music-honing/

Classroom keyboard instruction improves memory: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200600000508

Wall Street Journal – Playing a musical instrument later in life brings significant benefits: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-joy-of-learning-to-play-an-instrument-later-in-life-1492999441

University of Southern California – even just two years of music lessons demonstrates huge cognitive ability https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-music-children-brains-decision-making-network.html

Washington Post – music lessons empower emotional growth: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/01/07/music-lessons-spur-emotional-and-behavioral-growth-in-children-new-study-says/?postshare=231446607251961

University of Vermont – playing music helps kids brains: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141223132546.htm

Kids who sing in chorus get better grades than those who do not: https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/images/uploads/content/ImpactStudy09_Report.pdf

Ohio State University – music enhances adolescent achievement: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00598.x

Broader study links arts education to higher high school graduation rates in New York City: https://www.centerforartsed.org/sites/default/files/docs/CAE_Arts_and_Graduation_Report.pdf

4+ years of arts and/or music classes boost SAT scores by an average of 92(!) points https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/legislation-policy/naappd/arts-facts-sat-scores-and-the-arts-1999-2015

Citing a Northwestern study (different than the previous one cited earlier in this list) about music positively affecting a child’s brain: https://time.com/3634995/study-kids-engaged-music-class-for-benefits-northwestern/

Predictor of IQ: https://www.apa.org/monitor/jun06/iq

National Institutes of Magnetic Health Resonances – music improves motor skills: http://www.newseveryday.com/articles/5953/20150108/http-www-nzherald-co-nz-lifestyle-news-article-cfm-c-id-6-objectid-11383648.htm

Another academic achievement study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/019263659808259707

Promotes artistic expression: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0022429412474826

Quartz Magazine – music lessons make children’s brain development happen faster: https://qz.com/761445/research-shows-taking-music-lessons-can-speed-up-brain-development-in-children/

Sam Houston State University – music has an effect on financial award in later life: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/music/center-for-music-education/praxis/articles/music-lessons-and-scholarship.html

Studying music provides social benefits: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14613808.2013.829428

Music lowers stress and anxiety: https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/

Music education enhances neuro-rehabilitation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411999/

NPR – Harmony Project in LA suggests music helps with speech: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/09/10/343681493/this-is-your-brain-this-is-your-brain-on-music

U Penn Medicine – playing music has greater benefits than listening: 

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2017/january/playing-an-instrument-better-for-your-brain-than-just-listening

Indian children who took music lessons learned more complex vocabulary: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12646-013-0180-3

Musicians experience less age-related auditory processing decline: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21910546

Smithsonian Magazine – it makes you better at listening as an adult: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/playing-music-as-a-child-leads-to-better-listening-as-an-adult-29575073/

Thesis – music improves mathematical learning: https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276&context=ehd_theses

University College London – music significantly impacts young people https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242560857_The_power_of_music_Its_impact_on_the_intellectual_social_and_personal_development_of_children_and_young_people

Early music lessons reduce hearing loss: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/342/6159/678.2

Children who were musicians showed better cooperation: http://syncproject.co/blog/2015/11/9/music-enhances-social-skills

Music significantly helps depression, anxiety in older adults who play instruments: https://www.mdedge.com/fedprac/article/106295/mental-health/prescription-music-lessons

Music helps patients with Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative disorders: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03444181

Playing in the school band makes you smarter: https://bit.ly/2vZoWBI

Music students have better pitch perception: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30741909Playing music at a younger age helps social skills: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30534096

Playing drums helps working memory in older adults: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2972703

Improved “digit span” after 6 weeks of music lessons in children: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29358927

Singing lessons may treat respiratory problems: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28461167

Students with piano lessons score better in math: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10730700

Improves children’s spatial-temporal skills: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9090630

Voice lessons helped graduate students in speech-language pathology: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7620533

Music lessons improves children’s motor skills: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16597773

Playing didgeridoo helps sleeping disorders: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16377643

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Filed Under: Articles, Blog Tagged With: Music Education

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2023 Music School Central, Inc.