Publish at October 14 2018 Updated June 13 2024
Music is part of our lives. From our earliest childhood, we are fed lullabies and nursery rhymes. As we grow up, it's the tunes listened to by our parents or played on the radio that build our personal soundtrack. Finally, we develop our own tastes, which we share with the next generation and so on.
If music, especially with existing technological means, can be everywhere, we have to wonder what effect it has on our brains. Obviously, it seems happy to let itself be carried away by different melodies, but does this have an impact on its functioning? Experts say yes.
The saying goes that music softens the soul. And it's not wrong. In fact, psychologists have been noting and experimenting with its effects on our moods for many years. For example, after listening to quiet classical music, an experiment showed that more people came to the aid of an experimenter who asked for a favor. However, those who heard an unpleasant melody volunteered much less.
Soothing music is also recognized as a painkiller, making medical activities less painful. Although often associated with villains in the movies, classical music is said to reduce violence in people. And while techno beats are ideal during physical performance sessions, cartoon rhythms are said to have an impact on students' arithmetic results.
The effects of music on the brain are of great interest to schools. Could it help learners assimilate concepts? After all, as soon as a person hears music, some thirty brain regions are activated, particularly those linked to language and motor skills.
In fact, health care institutions often play music for people with advanced Alzheimer's to help them shake off their torpor. But can listening to classical music, as claimed by Disney's Baby Mozart product line, really turn little ones into geniuses? Sadly, no. There's no evidence that passive listening increases intelligence.
Learning to music, on the other hand, works. Since it stimulates the hippocampus, it's easier to retain things in song. The Studytracks application, for example, offers French youngsters the chance to study aspects of fourth and third grade in song. It's an easy way to remember what you've studied.
Until now, few studies had managed to show a link between music education and improved student skills. Now, in spring 2018, an article published in Frontiers in Neuroscience has caused quite a stir. The research was carried out in the Netherlands over two years with 147 pupils.
They were randomly divided into four groups: two with musical training, one with visual arts instruction and one as a control group. The visual arts students received an education in which they tried to master painting, sculpture and various art materials, as well as theoretical lessons on art history. Music students learned to play various instruments, the basics of music and how to improvise. At the start of the day, the students performed the welcome song.
The researchers then analyzed the different performances in various school tasks. Those in the art program showed better visual and spatial memory, while those in the music program showed great improvement in verbal IQ, task planning and inhibition. The scientists also noticed a slight increase in these students' academic results. Nothing that defies imagination, but it does have an influence on learning, concentration and so on.
In a context where music lessons are often the most neglected in schools, since they require substantial investment (including musical instruments), this study provides grist for the mill of those who demand better music teaching in schools. Clearly, learning to play an instrument has beneficial effects on learners. It remains to be seen whether many schools will be tempted to add more music and art to the curriculum.
Illustration: danielfoster437 Listening to Music via photopin (license)
References
Guéguen, Nicolas. "Les Mille Effets De La Musique, Cerveauetpsycho.fr. Last updated November 15, 2017. https://www.cerveauetpsycho.fr/sd/psychologie/les-mille-effets-de-la-musique-3449.php.
Jaschke, Artur C., Henkjan Honing, and Erik J.A. Scherder. "Longitudinal Analysis of Music Education on Executive Functions in Primary School Children." Frontiers. Last updated February 28, 2018. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00103/full.
"L'enseignement De La Musique, Comme Facteur De Réussite Scolaire." Les Malins | ICI Radio-Canada.ca Première. Last updated: March 31, 2018. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/les-malins/segments/chronique/65867/musique-ecole-reussite-scolaire.
Lévesque, Anne-Isabelle. "L'enseignement De La Musique Et Son Impact Sur Les Fonctions Exécutives." LAUGHTER. Last updated April 30, 2018. http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/2018/04/lenseignement-de-musique-impact-fonctions-executives/.
Roche, Juliette. "Une Nouvelle Application Pour Apprendre En Musique!" Cosmopolitan.fr. Last updated: March 15, 2018. https://www.cosmopolitan.fr/une-nouvelle-application-pour-apprendre-en-musique,2016080.asp.
Vigneault, Alexandre. "La Musique, Entre Nos Deux Oreilles." La Presse+. Last updated October 7, 2018. http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/d720b8c8-798c-478d-ab32-0abbfa0c991e__7C___0.html.
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