Learning music since childhood, beneficial to the brain while growing up
New research shows that after several years of music lessons in childhood, it is able to improve the way the brain processes sound in adulthood. This is able to trigger adult skills for the better in terms of listening and learning something.
As a result of a study at Northwestern University, published Wednesday in the journal Neuroscience, this study focuses on what happens after a person no longer practices the art of music, having followed music classes for several years in childhood.
This study is based on previous research which concluded that adults who have attended music art classes in childhood have a better performance compared to people who have never studied music. This is evident after they undergo some cognitive tests. as quoted by LiveScience.
A total of 45 young adults participated as respondents in the study, which were divided into three groups. This group is a respondent who has never studied music art, respondents who have studied music art for one to five years, and respondents who have been studying the art of music for six to 11 years.
Both groups of respondents, have followed the music class since the age of 9 years. Scientists measure electrical signals on the brainstem of the respondent's hearing system, as they hear different types of sounds.
In both groups attending the music class, their responses to a more complex voice increased compared to respondents who had never attended a music class.
"Based on what we know about musical procedures in developing the brain, this study shows that studying music in the short term, can improve listening and learning skills, for the rest of my life," says Northwestern Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory director Nina Kraus.
Previous research was conducted on musicians, suggesting that their responses to the nervous system heard and communication skills increased when heard the sound.