New Research Demonstrates Positive Impact of Music Learning

New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and from the University of Zurich (UZH) affirms the power of music learning for the brain. Together, these studies show that studying computer coding does little for brain development, whereas (spoiler alert) the UZH study demonstrates music’s positive impact: “musicians’ brains were vastly more structurally and functionally connected than non-musicians, especially in areas of the brain responsible for speech and sound (especially the auditory cortices of both hemispheres).” This is yet another addition to your advocacy toolkit, and it doesn’t stop there. From the Zurich study: “The musical group also showed stronger connections from the auditory cortices to other brain areas… [that are] involved in the control of higher cognitive functions like memory, working memory, and executive functions.”