Abstract
Background: Research on the effects of music education on cognitive abilities has generated increasing interest across the scientific community. Nonetheless, longitudinal studies investigating the effects of structured music education on cognitive sub-functions are still rare. Prime candidates for investigating a relationship between academic achievement and music education appear to be executive functions such as planning, working memory, and inhibition.Methods: One hundred and forty-seven primary school children, Mage = 6.4 years, SD = 0.65 were followed for 2.5 years. Participants were randomized into four groups: two music intervention groups, one active visual arts group, and a no arts control group. Neuropsychological tests assessed verbal intelligence and executive functions. Additionally, a national pupil monitor provided data on academic performance.Results: Children in the visual arts group perform better on visuospatial memory tasks as compared to the three other conditions. However, the test scores on inhibition, planning and verbal intelligence increased significantly in the two music groups over time as compared to the visual art and no arts controls. Mediation analysis with executive functions and verbal IQ as mediator for academic performance have shown a possible far transfer effect from executive sub-function to academic performance scores.Discussion: The present results indicate a positive influence of long-term music education on cognitive abilities such as inhibition and planning. Of note, following a two-and-a-half year long visual arts program significantly improves scores on a visuospatial memory task. All results combined, this study supports a far transfer effect from music education to academic achievement mediated by executive sub-functions.
Highlights
The results show that children following structured music lessons perform better on tasks measuring verbal IQ, planning and inhibition when compared to controls during four follow ups
Even though we found a positive effect of long-term music lessons to inhibition, Moreno et al.’s (2011) event-related potential recordings might be much more sensitive to short-term changes in inhibitory control
Analyzing the longitudinal effects of music education embedded into the regular school curriculum, throughout different cultural settings, will further strengthen our understanding of the effects music can have on the developing brain
Summary
Arguing in favor of far transfer from music lessons to academic achievement remains difficult (Ho et al, 2003; Costa-Giomi, 2004; Schellenberg, 2006; Degé et al, 2011; Moreno et al, 2011; Tsang and Conrad, 2011; Rodrigues et al, 2013; Roden et al, 2014; Dumont et al, 2017; Holochwost et al, 2017). The prime candidate when analyzing a possible far transfer effect from music skills to cognitive functioning and academic achievement appears to be executive functions. Researchers have concluded that an increase in intelligence scores and academic skills was mediated by higher performances on EF tasks in children receiving music lessons (Degé et al, 2011). These studies, have received a fair amount of criticism as the relationship between music, intelligence, and academic skills was not made clear. Prime candidates for investigating a relationship between academic achievement and music education appear to be executive functions such as planning, working memory, and inhibition
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