 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 22, 2010
New research may help parents when they write the monthly check for music lessons.
After a review of a wide range of scientific literature, Northwestern University scientists believe the facts support a link between musical training and learning.
According to the experts, musical practice improves skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion.
The review is presented in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience and includes findings from labs all over the world comprising a variety of scientific philosophies and research approaches.
The explosion of research in recent years focusing on the effects of music training on the nervous system, including the studies in the review, have strong implications for education, said Nina Kraus, lead author of the Nature perspective, and director of Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.
Scientists use the term neuroplasticity to describe the brain’s ability to adapt and change as a result of training and experience over the course of a person’s life. The studies covered in the Northwestern review offer a model of neuroplasticity, Kraus said.
The research strongly suggests that the neural connections made during musical training also prime the brain for other aspects of human communication.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/07/22/long-term-benefits-from-musical-training/15885.html
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