To tie in with the launch of Tune In, the national year of music, Professor Susan Hallam of The Institute of Education has collated current research on music, education and neuroscience to put together a comprehensive picture of the benefits of music.
She reports that links between speech and language mean early engagement with music can enhance children's language skills. Learning to play an instrument can also significantly improve the ability to remember words, due to the development of the left cranial temporal regions. In one particular study, musically trained participants remembered 17% more verbal information than those without musical training.
Learning music can enhance a child's intellectual development, particularly their spatial reasoning, as was found in one study where children who had music lessons recorded IQ increases of 7 points on average, compared with 4.3 points for children who took drama instead.
Children who take part in music have generally been found to be more academically successful, but the report acknowledges that there are a number of complicated contributing factors. Participation in music does seem to promote self confidence, social skills, increased concentration and a sense of belonging, commitment and accomplishment, although Hallam notes that quality of experience and of teaching is essential to achieve positive outcomes.
In terms of physical health, learning an instrument enhances fine motor coordination and research with adults has suggested that health benefits of singing include improved mood, stress reduction, better posture and benefits for breathing and the immune system.
Read the full report on the Institute of Education's website.
This News story was originally published by Music Manifesto, the campaign to improve music education 2004 – 2010.
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