The Score Magazine - Archive November 2016 issue! | Page 37

Learning music improve one’s speech processing,
memory retention powers, learning ability and
concentration thus helping in bridging the gaps
between academic achievements. The improved
neural functions make it easier for kids to stay
focused in the classroom and to improve their
communication skills.
A Canadian study’s findings say that the benefits
of learning music extend beyond the formative
learning years. They studied older people who
had learnt music during their childhood and
found that they could identify speech 20 percent
faster than those who hadn’t. A prolonged
musical training also ensures better speech
processing and memory retaining even after one
stops learning.
Musical training involves skills like studying
notes, chords, octaves, rhythm and meter which
can be understood mathematically. There is said
to be an underlying correlation between music
making and mathematical ability. If one learns
music, learning maths becomes that much easier
and one’s improved rationale abilities proves
beneficial in studying science as well.
Motor skills are also said to be improved while
learning an instrument. Playing an instrument
requires exceptional hand-eye co-ordination and
also increases muscle memory. Transforming
musical notes on a page to a beautiful melody
requires a certain amount of motoring skill
which adds an edge to performing other
activities as well. Researchers in Canada have
found that superior motor abilities actually come
up in brain scans which show stronger neural
connections in motor regions of the brain which
help in carrying out physical movements.
Getting a note perfect requires a certain level
of concentration. Music makers have long
been known to have an immense amount of
concentration and focusing ability. Creating
music leads to exceptional emotional control and
hence less aggression, depression or anger issues
than non-musicians are found. When children are
taught music from an early age, their attention
span increases and they pay more attention to
classes and learn better.
A November 2013 study by the University of
Montreal reports that trained musicians have
superior multisensory processing skills. For
example, when someone plays the piano, the
pianist does not think of the hand muscles moving
to play the keys, or her legs moving the pedals, or
her eyes reading the notes and ears and memory
making sure the melody played out is correct.
The pianist just plays thinking only of the music
she has to create but her brain is running several
miles per hour to get that piece of music to play. It
just goes on to show how every part of the brain is
working and co-ordinating to play music. Thus,
musicians have sharper multisensory processing
skills.
Creating music is an experience which trains the
brain from an early age itself and whose benefits
are reaped throughout one’s life. Therefore,
today’s academic curriculum’s call for some
change wherein learning a musical instrument
should be included or some sort of
musical activity partaken in.
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