Introduce Your Children To Musical Instruments Early In Life For Better Brain Development
These studies about music and it’s cognitive benefits on human intelligence have been studied in children of various age groups from infancy all the way into adult hood. Dr. Gordon Shaw wrote “Keeping Mozart In Mind” which examines the scientific correlation between making music and brain development and learning. According to Shaw, the “Mozart Effect” is known to allow a window into higher brain function. This seems to effects people of all ages, ethnic groups, and socio-economic groups.
In March 1999, the Neurological Research published the latest study headed by Shaw and reported that second grade students who played the piano scored 27% higher in math performance tests.
In February 1997, a study from the Shaw laboratory, announced that six months of piano keyboarding lessons enhanced spatial-temporal reasoning in preschool-aged children. Preschool children who participated in piano study scored 34% higher in puzzle solving tests.
One of the most amazing studies comes from the discovery that MusicMajors are the most likely group of college graduates to be admitted into medical school. This study was taken from 7,500 University College Students. 66% of all music majors who applied to medical school became accepted and admitted, whereas only 44% of biochemistry majors who applied to medical school became admitted.*
Learning to play a musical instrument such as taking piano lessons, guitar lessons, or violin lessons in early childhood, and later participating in Band or Orchestra in High School, can make a huge difference in the cognitive development of the student. Music has been shown to enhance the “hard-wiring” component of the brain, particularly in regards to spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the ability to visualize and transform objects in space and time. Learning to play a musical instrument wires the brain to visualize more effectively, involve ratios, fractions, and proportions. These key brain components are used every day in our lives when we are engaged in reasoning and problem solving.
