Effects of music learning and piano practice on cognitive function, mood and quality of life in older adults

However, due to the correlational nature of the studies cited in the previous paragraph, no causal relations can be established between musical training, cognitive enhancement, and the anatomical differences in the brain. Other variables, such as congenital predispositions, age, education, and socioeconomic status, could account for the results. Therefore, the most compelling evidence of the effects of musical training is from longitudinal studies on child populations. Schellenberg (2004) found that children who received 36-weeks musical lessons (standard keyboard or Kodálay) showed a small but significant increase in IQ compared to children who took drama lessons or no lessons at all. Furthermore, it has been shown that 6-year-old children who received 15 months private keyboard lessons showed structural brain changes that correlated with improvements in musically relevant auditory and motor skills when compared to a control group that did not received such instruction (Hyde et al., 2009). Finally, a series of follow-up studies comparing 8-year-old children who received either music or painting lessons for several months, found that music training has transfer effects to linguistic abilities evidenced by improvements in behavioral measures and electrophysiological responses, while painting lessons do not (Moreno et al., 2009; Chobert et al., 2012; François et al., 2013). These studies show that there is a clear transfer effect from musical training to auditory and speech skills (for a review see Kraus and Chandrasekaran, 2010; Besson et al., 2011). Interestingly, due to the random assignment of participants to the groups and the longitudinal methodology used in these studies, the results can only be explained by music training effects and not by pre-existing predispositions.

These studies show that there is a clear transfer effect from musical training to auditory and speech skills

I had a friend when I was 14 who learned the piano. He then grew up to be an interpreter. He was useless at mathematics though! :smile:

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I am feeling pretty good about taking piano lessons now!

:blush:

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I’m considering taking them too, along with yoga.