The Many Benefits of Music Education for Children

benefits of music education

Popular opinion states that there are several benefits to music education, but is there truth to that statement? Several studies have been done to prove the link between learning music and increased brain activity. While we generally think that the act of learning how to play an instrument or sing well is beneficial for children, it provides more perks than you expect.

One study has shown that children who received a minimum of three years of music training outperformed their peers and showed enhanced verbal ability and non-verbal reasoning skills. This involves analyzing and comprehending visual data, such as understanding the relationships, differences and similarities between various patterns and shapes. The same study showed that the children performed better with fine motor skills and auditory discrimination abilities. Another study has shown that those who were given a formal education in music has seen an improvement of reading skills and academic achievement.

You might think that these learning areas are as distant as it can be from musical training, so it’s wonderful to see how instrumental and vocal training can push a child to develop an important set of skills.

Language Development

For children between the ages of two to nine, many who take music classes see extraordinary boosts in language development, which is crucial for their age range. Kids are born with the ability to decipher words and sounds, but learning music skills greatly enhances these inborn abilities.

Social Behavior Benefits and IQ

Taking group classes helps with developing necessary social skills that children will bring with them as they grow into adulthood.  According to a study published in Psychological Science, those who are regularly taking music classes see an increase in IQ as well. A group of children who were given nine months of voice lessons and piano lessons tested on average three IQ points higher than children who weren’t given any training at all.

Want to know more about how music education can boost our brain power? Send us a message and we’d love to chat with you!