Teaching children music helps develop new connections in the brain

Musical education for primary school children is of fundamental importance for the development of new connections in the brain. The findings of the study, conducted under the leadership of Pilar Dies-Suarez, will be announced at the annual meeting of radiologists in Chicago. Scientists believe that the musical development of preschoolers can prevent such diseases as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The influence of music is wider than previously thought

The issue of the influence of musical education on children has been studied for several years. Previously, science has already received confirmation that playing the piano, violin and other classical instruments helps children learn better, maintain concentration and memory. And now we have one more confirmation of the boundless abilities of musical art. Playing on instruments, children suffering from certain mental disorders, demonstrate a marked improvement in the condition. The influence of music on the brains of babies was determined using an experiment conducted with children aged 5-6 years.

The experimental group consisted of 23 preschoolers

The team of Dr. Pilar Dies-Suarez focused on a group of 23 preschoolers. In the course of the experiment, each child's brain was scanned using the magnetic resonance imaging technique using the diffusion tensor. The tests were conducted twice: before the start of the nine-month course of training under the Boomwhackers program, and also after its completion. As part of the classes, the children learned the game on bright plastic tubes of different lengths, which, when struck, produce a melodic sound. This is the case when the name of the instrument does not coincide with the tonality of the sound.

On which parts of the brain was attention focused?

Researchers focused on white matter, the part of the brain where the nerve fibers are the most. It is this zone that is responsible for the conducting pathways of the large hemispheres. Cylindrical processes of nerve cells (axons) connect the neurons in such a way that different parts of the brain can interact with each other. Previous studies not related to the influence of musical development have shown that children with ADHD and autism have less white matter in some areas of the frontal cortex of the brain. Thus, for the indicated mental disorders may correspond to the loss of connections between neurons.

Results of the experiment

At the end of the nine-month training program Boomwhackers in all 23 children increased the amount of white matter in the frontal cortex. This indicates that music provoked the formation of new axons. Thus, the children participating in the experiment improved the connection between the different brain regions.

Here is what the author of the study says, Dr. Diez-Suarez: "A child receiving a certain musical installation loads the brain with various tasks. He should listen, move his fingers, be able to recognize the melody, feel the mood of the musical composition and at the same time interact in the social group. This whole set of skills activates different zones of the brain and connects both hemispheres. "