The role of music

Building Baby‘s Brain:
The Role of Music

by Diane Bales, Ph.D.

 

"Researchers believe that musical training actually creates new pathways in the brain."

Musichas a powerful effect on our emotions. Parents know that a quiet,gentle lullaby can soothe a fussy baby. And a majestic chorus can makeus swell with excitement. But music also can affect the way we think.

Inrecent years, we‘ve learned a lot about how the brain develops. Babiesare born with billions of brain cells. During the first years of life,those brain cells form connections with other brain cells. Over time,the connections we use regularly become stronger. Children who grow uplistening to music develop strong music-related connections.

Someof these music pathways actually affect the way we think. Listening toclassical music can improve our spatial reasoning, at least for a shorttime. And learning to play an instrument may have an even longer effecton certain thinking skills.

Does Music Make Us Smarter?

Not exactly. Music seems to prime our brains for certain kinds ofthinking. After listening to classical music, adults can do certainspatial tasks more quickly, such as putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Whydoes this happen? The classical music pathways in our brain are similarto the pathways we use for spatial reasoning. When we listen toclassical music, the spatial pathways are "turned on" and ready to beused.

This priming makes it easier to work a puzzlequickly. But the effect lasts only a short time. Our improved spatialskills fade about an hour after we stop listening to the music.

Learningto play an instrument can have longer-lasting effects on spatialreasoning, however. In several studies, children who took piano lessonsfor six months improved their ability to work puzzles and solve otherspatial tasks by as much as 30 percent.

Why doesplaying an instrument make such a difference? Researchers believe thatmusical training creates new pathways in the brain.

Why Classical Music?

The music most people call "classical"--works by composers such asBach, Beethoven, or Mozart--is different from music such as rock andcountry. Classical music has a more complex musical structure. Babiesas young as 3 months can pick out that structure and even recognizeclassical music selections they have heard before.

Researchersthink the complexity of classical music is what primes the brain tosolve spatial problems more quickly. So listening to classical musicmay have different effects on the brain than listening to other typesof music.

This doesn‘t mean that other types ofmusic aren‘t good. Listening to any kind of music helps buildmusic-related pathways in the brain. And music can have positiveeffects on our moods that may make learning easier.

What Can You Do?

Parents and child-care providers can help nurture children‘s love of music beginning in infancy. Here are some ideas:

• Play music for your baby. Expose your baby to many different musical selections of variousstyles. If you play an instrument, practice when your baby is nearby.But keep the volume moderate. Loud music can damage a baby‘s hearing.
• Sing to your baby. It doesn‘t matter how well you sing! Hearing your voice helps your babybegin to learn language. Babies love the patterns and rhythms of songs.And even young babies can recognize specific melodies once they‘veheard them.
• Sing with your child. As children grow, they enjoy singing with you. And setting words tomusic actually helps the brain learn them more quickly and retain themlonger. That‘s why we remember the lyrics of songs we sang as children,even if we haven‘t heard them in years.
• Start music lessons early. If you want your child to learn an instrument, you don‘t need to waituntil elementary school to begin lessons. Young children‘s developingbrains are equipped to learn music. Most four- and five-year-olds enjoymaking music and can learn the basics of some instruments. And startinglessons early helps children build a lifelong love of music.
• Encourage your child‘s school to teach music. Singing helps stimulate the brain, at least briefly. Over time, musiceducation as a part of school can help build skills such ascoordination and creativity. And learning music helps your child becomea well-rounded person.