Playing an Instrument Influences More than Musical Abilities

It has been said that playing a musical instrument can have positive effects on a child's learning Harvard put this idea to the test by arranging a study of 41 eight- to eleven- year olds who had studied either piano or a string instrument for a minimum of three years in comparison to a group of 18 children who had no instrumental training. The results were not only higher test scores for children who played instruments in areas related to music, in tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity, but these students also had higher scores than those who did not play an instrument in tests of verbal ability and visual pattern completion. This study raisies question as to whether there is a balance between music and unrelated studies. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104132916.htm

I feel that Music can have a large impact on a persons development, especially a child. This study shows that those children who had been playing an instrument for three years not only had strong music abilities, but also higher test scores. Children who spent more time focusing on improving their abilities through practicing outside the classroom also had higher test scores than those who had been studying an instrument for a shorter period of time. This connection between music and learning has been proven not only through verbal and visual scores, but math as well. Children are also learning skills at young age by playing an instrument such as dedication, commitment, focus and time management by devoting time to practice. I did not surprise me that children who play a musical instrument have higher test scores in areas non-music related areas, oppossed to children who do not play an instrument.