New Research Alert: Playing instruments boosts kids’ brainpower!

There’s a lot of buzz about the significant findings of some exciting research from the University of Vermont College of Medicine which has identified a direct link between “…playing a musical instrument and brain development.”

How music and the brain are linked

Analyzing brain scans, identifying cortical indicators, and factoring in the entirety of a child’s familial and social environment were key to uncovering the astounding evidence of the direct effect that music and music playing had on the brain.  Playing an instrument requires control, focus, and coordination, and utilizing these skills actually alters the motor areas of the brain.  Not only that, but making music can also cause changes in the “behavior-regulating areas of the brain,” according to this study.

“Such statistics, when taken in the context of our present neuroimaging results,” the [research] authors write, “underscore the vital importance of finding new and innovative ways to make music training more widely available to youths, beginning in childhood.”

Beginning in childhood

This is precisely what excites Kindermusik educators the most – new and significant evidence that making music and playing instruments in early childhood is critical for brain development, and in particular, in developing executive function skills like focus, self-control, and emotional processing.

And why is executive function so important?

Author Amanda Morin summed it up this way, “Executive function is like the CEO of the brain.”  When you improve a child’s executive function skills, you impact a child’s potential for success – on the playground, in the classroom, and in life.

What your child needs when it matters most

Music is the one activity that has been proven over and over to have a compelling and long-lasting impact on a child’s overall development, especially brain development.  And before a child even knows what a violin is, there’s Kindermusik – a place where parents can intentionally and joyfully immerse their child in all of the rich benefits of music and music making, from newborn to age 7.Learn more about giving your young child all of the advantages of early music exposure and music making with Kindermusik at www.Kindermusik.com.


Contributed by Kindermusik educator Theresa Case, whose award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios is located in beautiful upstate South Carolina.