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Does Playing Music Make You Smarter?

Think about it — as a parent, would you be interested in an activity that would not only help your child perform better in school, but also increase their chances for success later in life? And what if that activity was something your child actually enjoyed and wanted to take part in. Interested?

Sure, you're interested. And, surprise! This activity is not new, and as a matter of fact, you might have taken part in it yourself. It is the process of making music. And until recently, scientists didn't really understand the connection between music making and intelligence.

Back to the Future It's not that scientists didn't recognize a connection between the process of playing music and increased brain functionality. Many centuries ago, Plato said, "Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education." And today, scientists have dubbed the 1990s as the "decade of the brain" because of the explosion in brain research. Recently, dramatic new research regarding the benefits of playing music might have altered Plato's views to read, "Playing music is a more potent instrument than any other for education." Scientists have long suspected a neurological connection between playing music and intelligence, but it was not until recently that specific data became available directly linking the two. Exploring the Brain The brain's cortex, the center of our intellectual functions, represents 85 percent of brain mass, The remaining 15 percent of the brain, the limbic system, handles our emotional functions. Researchers at McGill University in Montreal found that music functions as a key link between the cortex and limbic systems, suggesting that it's virtually impossible to study or play a musical instrument without feeling a wide range of positive emotions such as joy, happiness, love and tenderness. From this research, Author Sharlene Habermeyer, in her book, Good Music, Brighter Children, concluded, "and when we allow these emotions to be a part of the learning process, our education becomes richer, more meaningful, longer lasting, and has greater impact in our lives!" Another study, performed at the University of Texas, found a direct relationship between the brain's ability to interpret musical notes and passages and written letters and words. And further research has documented that the sensory input section of a violinist's brain which registers and controls activity of the left hand was more highly developed than that of the brain area controlling the less active right hand. The research further discovered that the earlier the violinist had begun to play, the greater the sophistication and response characteristics of the left hand cortical area of the brain.

Consider the Following: Research completed at the University of Munster in Germany discovered enlarged portions of the brain in children who took music lessons. An area used to analyze the pitch of a musical note was found to be 25% larger in those who participate in playing music regularly than in those who have never played an instrument. A research team exploring the link between playing music and intelligence reported that music training (specifically piano instruction) is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills-mental tools necessary for learning subjects like math and science, or for playing chess and mastering concepts of engineering. Thirty-four percent of the children performed higher on tests measuring these criteria after only six months of piano lessons. Students with course-work/experience in music performance scored an average of 52 points higher on the verbal portion of the SAT and 36 points higher on the math portion of the SAT than students with no course-work or experience in the arts. A research team studying first graders from two Rhode Island elementary schools found that students who participated in a regular and structured music learning program exhibited dramatic increases in reading and math. A study in, the March 1999 issue of Neurological Research showed that after learning eighth, quarter, half and whole notes, second and third-grade scored 100 percent higher than peers who were taught fractions using traditional or proportional math methods. Because of this research, we know there is a direct connection between playing music and intelligence in children. But how and why does this connection take place?