Medical Mysteries of Music

Here’s Another Plea for Music Education for Children in Schools and Elsewhere

We know that learning how to play a musical instrument is good for the brain, so why is music education always among the first things to be cut in schools? It should be mandatory for every kid to be taught music. This passage from a story published by The Journal of American Medicine explains why,

Processing music is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks our brains undertake, and creating and performing music is even more complex. We are just beginning to understand what neural processes underlie the effects of active music making, and a better appreciation of these processes would likely enhance understanding of brain responses to other stimuli and tasks. There is already compelling evidence that in children, music training assists development of language skills, auditory processing, and educational achievement compared with untrained peers,2– 4 and anecdotally, many top professionals across different disciplines have musical training in their background.

Read the entire article here. Thanks to Rupinder for the link.

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39363 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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