The brain and musical training
The importance of music
Figure 7: Near and far transfer skills (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3957486/)
Be it culturally or for leisure, music, without a doubt, plays an important role in our lives. The question ‘ How does music affect our brains? ’ is very complex and therefore, despite all the research that has taken place, we still do not fully understand how our brain is affected by music. However, from the mentioned studies, we can confidently conclude that the art of playing an instrument does indeed affect the development of our brain and not only does it bring us joy and comfort, but also various benefits that last a lifetime. It increases GM volume which allows the brain to process information faster and more efficiently. This is especially true for children as it encourages greater neuroplasticity and as a result, induces greater brain development. This also allows their brains to be more adaptable which entails faster learning of new skills, especially that of the near transfer skills (Fig. 7), such as fine motor skills and speech recognition. Furthermore, not only will this benefit them during the years of development, but also in later years as it is seen to maintain a faster neuro-timing. Musical training has a beneficial impact regardless of the age you start learning from 16 and it is even used in many rehabilitation programmes (for speech, hearing, coordination etc.). 17 Even though musical training already has many uses, hopefully, as we continue to gain a better understanding of the brain and conduct more research, we may unveil more benefits of musical training.
16 Cole, D. Your Aging BrainWill Be in Better Shape If You've Taken Music Lessons https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/1/140103-music-lessons-brain-aging-cognitive- neuroscience / ( 11/07/20 ) . 17 Magee, W. Why include music therapy in a neuro-rehabilitation team? https://www.acnr.co.uk/2020/02/why-include-music-therapy-in-a-neuro-rehabilitation-team/ ( 11/07/20 ) ’
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