Is Your Child Struggling in School? Get Him, Or Her, Music Lessons

This might seem counterintuitive. Our natural response to seeing our child struggle is to find a way to help, not to add to the burden. So, why risk setting up a struggling child for potential failure in music lessons? The answer lies in the remarkable effects of music on the brain.

Research has shown that playing music can have a direct and almost immediate impact on brain function. A German study found that after just five weeks of music lessons, students exhibited significant changes in their brain activity. Comparing a group of students taking music lessons to a control group that was not, the study found that those who had taken as few as ten music lessons over a five-week period showed a notable ear-to-hand link.

At first glance, this might not seem particularly important. After all, ear-to-hand connections might only seem useful for playing an instrument by ear. But the significance is twofold. First, music lessons promote brain development, which enhances overall brain function and benefits various aspects of life. Second, researchers in Hong Kong extended the study and found that students who took music lessons outperformed their non-musical peers in verbal memory tests.

The benefits don’t stop there. A follow-up test a year later showed that even those who had discontinued music lessons still outscored their non-musical peers in verbal tests.

The takeaway? Enroll your child (or even yourself) in music lessons to give them every possible advantage in life. These are just two of the known benefits, and there are likely many more yet to be discovered.