“Creating a world where every child is given the opportunity to succeed and reach their fullest developmental potential”
Dr. Liraz
Introduction
The human brain is hardwired for music. As babies, we are born with an ability to perceive and enjoy musical sounds, like our mother’s rhythmical voice and even various song melodies.1
By exposing children to music during the early years (ages 3-9), we can transform the developing brain, preparing it for academic and life success.
Can music change the brain’s architecture?
Let’s begin by examining the early life of Mozart, one of the most beloved and famous composers of all times.
As a young boy, Mozart grew up in a household filled with music. His father, Leopold Mozart, was a respected composer and an accomplished violinist. At an early age, Leopold recognized his son’s musical genius and became greatly invested in his success. The young boy would practice composing by receiving a melody from his father and improvising the rest when he was 3 years old. The rest is history!
Growing up in an enriched musical environment, Mozart’s brain developed with unparalleled creative abilities. Symphonies written by Mozart are still enjoyed around the world to this very day.2
How Does Music Shape the Human Brain?
As humans slowly evolved over millions of years, art became a way of life. With the practice of music, drawing and dance, the size and complexity of the human brain increased, creating a smarter and more efficient brain, one that can navigating our ever-changing world.
There are 3 ways that music shapes our brain.
1. Music Makes Us Smarter
The “Mozart effect” suggests that a pregnant mother passively listening to classical music improves the developing baby’s cognitive abilities.
While pregnant with my daughter, I came across several interesting yet controversial studies suggesting that once the auditory system is intact in utero, classical music might enhance fetus brain development.3 Being a scientist mom, I decided to put it to the test. With speakers positioned on my huge pregnant belly and loud Mozart music blasting, I decided to relax in bed and read a book . It only took a few minutes for my fetus to respond. To my amazement, my girl did not only heard the music, but actually responded to it with a powerful kick that shook our entire king-sized bed! Even our Husky-Lab mix dog felt it and jumped from its slumber. It is hard to say whether my experiment worked. In the words of my delivery doctor, it surely couldn’t hurt.
To this day, ancient civilizations still use music in oral story telling. Important costumes and traditions are passed down to the next generation through musical instruments and song. It is the activation of brain structures involved in sound processing, memory, language, executive function and movement that are creating a highly specialized brain. One that can perform complex cognitive tasks with ease.
Recent studies in school-aged children reveal the benefits of musical training in the growing brain. Findings demonstrate mature auditory pathways of musically trained elementary students as compared to children of similar age lacking musical training. Moreover, these superior auditory pathways help with the development of the rest of the brain, improving language, reading and math centers through paralleling pathways and cross talk among brain structures.4
To maximize the benefits of music and its impact on the brain, it is best to begin learning music before the age of 7. The reason for this is that the brain undergoes a sensitive period of pruning, deleting unnecessary brain pathways known as synapses. In other words, the “telephone wire connections” allow for efficient communication between different brain structures. The pathway connections that are most often used will remain, while the ones that are not used will weaken.
How Does Music-Making Activate the Brain?
According to the scientific literature, there are 15 different brain areas that are active during musical play and performance. Brain cells present within each brain structure will fire, activating a specific brain region to perform a music-related task. The following chart shows a detailed list of these brain regions.
Note that music activates primitive brain structures buried deep inside the brain. These brain regions are responsible for memory storage, emotional regulation and movement control. In fact, these brain structures are so important for our survival, that redundancies exist as a compensatory mechanism.
Image obtained from the University of Central Florida website article: Your Brain on Music. Click here for an interactive model of brain regions that respond to music.
2. Music Develops Creativity
Have you ever seen a Jazz musician in action? Known as master improvisers, Jazz musicians mesmerize audiences with their remarkable ability to predict which note comes next in a Jazz tune. In fact, musician brains have evolved to predict musical patterns through hours and hours of practice, refining existing pathways and recruiting various brain regions involved in mathematical thinking and literacy.
Through diligent practice, Jazz players have trained themselves to enter a state of meditative flow, one in which their brains are in a creative, artistic mode of zen-like relaxation.
Listening to a piece of music integrates three major brain regions: the prefrontal cortex, the auditory cortex and the emotional centers of our primitive brain (amygdala, hippocampus). For a more detailed description of these brain structures, please refer to the above mentioned table.
A sophisticated musical brain with a superb ability to learn emerges through a process known as neuroplasticity – the strengthening of existing brain connections – which positively shapes the growing child’s brain.5
Would you like to tap into the brain’s natural ability to renew and improve? Click here.
3. Music Builds a Strong Character
It is hard work to learn how to play a musical instrument proficiently. Anyone who has ever attempted to teach a young child how to play anything knows this intimately. The child becomes resistant to practice, the frustration builds and before you know it, the instrument is flying across the room.
When attempting to teach my 3 year old daughter how to play the violin, I experienced some of the toughest parenting moments, including high pitch screams of frustration, violin hitting the floor and even the occasional hit to the body with the bow. So why did I not quite? I never believed the common misconception that toddlers too young and immature to play a delicate musical instruments. I was on a mission to develop grit in my child, similar to an athlete training for the world cup. By kind and loving discipline, perseverance and old fashioned hard work, we managed to work through the frustrating moments. I was priming her brain for music and shaping her character at the same time!
Studies report that professional musicians have unparalleled strength of mind and increased resilience as compared to non-musicians. This is because playing a musical instrument is a life-long journey filled with ups and downs, moments of stress, frustration and anxiety. By being exposed to these challenging circumstances, musicians develop good coping strategies and a tools for emotional regulation. Interestingly, the release of brain stress hormones during a music performance desensitizes and hardwires it for discomfort.6
In the next section we will offer practical advice. We will explore the advantages of learning music at an early age and discuss which type of musical skill is best for the developing brain. Note: not all musical experiences are created equal.
When Should a Child Take Music Lessons?
Any skill that is practiced repeatedly strengthens existing brain pathways and builds new ones, thus improving the overall performance of that particular skill. It is known that longer and more intense music practice sessions change the architecture of the brain more readily. This is the secret ingredient underlying Mozart’s musical success. Some may argue that a three year old child is too immature to handle the responsibilities of owning a musical instrument. Yet the neuroscience literature demonstrates the incredible malleability of the young child’s brain in its powerful ability to soak in information at early ages. It’s a fact: the critical period for auditory cortex development ends by the age of three or four in humans.7 Should we, then, ignore the child’s innate neurobiology?
Which Musical Skill is Best for the Growing Brain?
There are countless benefits to music engagement. Whether you are listening to music, playing music or dancing on the music, your brain is integrating important areas involved in sound processing, attention and movement. Since each type of musical activity (listening, playing, performing) requires a different skill set, essential brain structures are recruited to help perform that particular task.
For instance, actively listening to a piece of music develops focus, concentration and attention, while music performance ignites a large portion of the brain, as shown by numerous stars scattered throughout the brain (see first image of the article). Yet the greatest brain development benefits are seen with music performance.
How to Start Your Child’s Musical Journey?
Unfortunetely, many schools have cut funding to music programs. However, you can still acquire the life-long benefits of music during your child’s early years.
Here are some ideas on how to get started:
- Enroll your child in a music group class. Some examples include Kindermusik and Music Together.
- Join a music studio for private lessons.
- Join forces with other parents to create an after school program in your community, where volunteers can teach kids how to play an instrument and read sheet music.
It is never too late to learn how to play a musical instrument, even as an adult. Our neuroplastic brain is still able to transform, learn and grow when given the proper musical tools.
Conclusion
Music chisels the child’s brain, allowing for optimal development of key brain structures through simultaneous activation. Similar to a body builder lifting weights to gain muscular strength, playing a musical instrument exercises the brain by improving communication between the left and right hemispheres, strengthening planning, focus and movement centers, thus leading to a more efficient, creative and resilient brain.
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Together we can change the world, one kid at a time!
Dr. Liraz is a neuroscientist and educator. She loves writing about the inner workings of child brain. In her spare time, she is seen chasing her daughter around the playground and sprinting after the family Airedale dog, who is always getting in trouble.
References:
1. Natalie Sarrazin. Music and the Child. Open SUNY Textbooks, 2016.
2. Piero Melograni. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Biography. University of Chicago Press, 2006.
3. Federica Moscucci, Walter Verrusio and Nicolo Gueli. Mozart Effect and Its Clinical Applications: A Review. British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, 2015. 8(8): 639-650.
4. Assal Habibi et al. Neural correlates of accelerated auditory processing in children engaged in music training. Dev Cogn Neurosci, 2016. 21:1-14.
5. Mark Reybrouck, Peter Vuust and Elvira Brattico. Neural Correlates of Music Listening: Does the Music Matter? Brain Sci, 2021. 11(12): 1553.
6. Luc Nijs and Georgia Nicolaou. Flourishing in Resonance: Join Resilience Building Through Music and Motion. Front Psychol, 2021. 12: 666702.
7. Erika Skoe and Nina Kraus. Musical training heightens auditory brainstem function during sensitive periods in development. Front Psychol, 2013. 4: 622.