Musical training ‘can benefit children’s mental health’

A new study has demonstrated the significant cognitive development benefits that children can gain by learning how to play musical instruments.

Carried out by the University of Vermont, the research was the largest investigation of the association between playing a musical instrument and brain development and saw a team analyse the brain scans of 232 children between the ages of six and 18.

It was observed that playing music altered motor areas of the brain, because the activity requires control and coordination of movement, but also affected behaviour-regulating neural regions.

Music practice influenced thickness in the part of the cortex relating to executive functioning, including working memory, attentional control, organisation and future planning, as well as areas that play a critical role in inhibitory control and aspects of emotional processing.

The authors said: "Such statistics, when taken in the context of our present neuroimaging results, underscore the vital importance of finding new and innovative ways to make music training more widely available to youths, beginning in childhood."

It has also previously been shown that listening to music can aid mental development in infants, suggesting it can be a powerful tool in fostering healthy brain patterns.