INSTRUMENT REPAIRS

BAND & ORCHESTRA RENTALS

Music Lessons

Early Music Lessons Have Longtime Benefit 

Recent studies suggest that these benefits extend all through life, at least for those who continue to be engaged with music.
 But a study published last month is the first to show that music lessons in childhood may lead to changes in the brain that persist years after the lessons stop. (Yahoo! Finance)

When children learn to play a musical instrument, they strengthen a range of auditory skills. Recent studies suggest that these benefits extend all through life, at least for those who continue to be engaged with music.

But a study published last month is the first to show that music lessons in childhood may lead to changes in the brain that persist years after the lessons stop.

Researchers at Northwestern University recorded the auditory brainstem responses of college students — that is to say, their electrical brain waves — in response to complex sounds. The group of students who reported musical training in childhood had more robust responses — their brains were better able to pick out essential elements, like pitch, in the complex sounds when they were tested. And this was true even if the lessons had ended years ago.

See Full NYT Article on Yahoo! Finance: Click Here

Conclusion:

“We want music to be recognized for what it can be in a person’s life, not necessarily, ‘Oh, we want you to have better cognitive skills, so we’re going to put you in music,’ ” Ms. Parbery-Clark said. “Music is great, music is fantastic, music is social — let them enjoy it for what it really is.”