When we hear something, our ears receive it in the form of vibrations that it converts into a neural signal. The auditory system connects our ear to our brain to process sound. This system is also engaged in general sound processing that is fundamental to language development, reading skills and successful communication. Ear to brain The auditory system is stimulated by music, Habibi said. The enhanced maturity reflects an increase in neuroplasticity a physiological change in the brain in response to its environment in this case, exposure to music and music instruction. The fine-tuning of their auditory pathway could accelerate their development of language and reading, as well as other abilities a potential effect which the scientists are continuing to study. Within two years of the study, the neuroscientists found the auditory systems of children in the music program were maturing faster in them than in the other children. The neuroscientists are using several tools to monitor changes in them as they grow: MRI to monitor changes through brain scans, EEG to track electrical activity in the brains, behavioral testing and other such techniques.
The scientists are comparing the budding musicians with peers in two other groups: 11 children in a community soccer program, and 13 children who are not involved in any specific after-school programs. The children learn to play instruments, such as the violin, in ensembles and groups, and they practice up to seven hours a week. The community music training program was inspired by the El Sistema method, one that LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel had been in when he was growing up in Venezuela. Thirteen of the children, at 6 or 7 years old, began to receive music instruction through the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles program at HOLA. These results reflect that children with music training, compared with the two other comparison groups, were more accurate in processing sound.įor this longitudinal study, the neuroscientists are monitoring brain development and behavior in a group of 37 children from underprivileged neighborhoods of Los Angeles. We are broadly interested in the impact of music training on cognitive, socio-emotional and brain development of children, said Assal Habibi, the studys lead author and a senior research associate at the BCI in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. These results reflect that children with music training … were more accurate in processing sound.
The study shows music instruction speeds up the maturation of the auditory pathway in the brain and increases its efficiency.
These initial study results, published recently in the journal Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, provide evidence of the benefits of music education at a time when many schools around the nation have either eliminated or reduced music and arts programs. The Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at USC began the five-year study in 2012 in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) to examine the impact of music instruction on childrens social, emotional and cognitive development.
Music instruction appears to accelerate brain development in young children, particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception and reading skills, according to initial results of a five-year study by USC neuroscientists.