Strings, Scales and Smarts: How Music Boosts Your Brain

Ever wonder why picking up a violin or banging on a drum in school could make a child a better student? Welcome to Strings, Scales, and Smarts! In this episode of The Trout Show of Vinyl to Viral podcast, The Trout dives into the science and stories behind how learning a musical instrument sharpens student’s mind, boosts their grades, and builds skills that last a lifetime. From focus to creativity, join The Trout as we explore why music is more than just a class—it’s a brainpower game-changer. Tune in and let’s hit the right note for success!

www.thetroutshow.com

Transcript

0:11

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Ever wonder why picking up a violin or banging on a drum in school could make a child a better student? Welcome to Strings, Scales and Smarts. In this episode of the Trout Show of Vinyl to Viral Podcast, the Trout dives into the science and stories behind how learning a musical instrument sharpens students' mind, boosts their grades, and builds skills that last a lifetime. From focus to creativity, join the Trout as we explore why music is more than just a class, it's a brainpower game changer. Tune in and let's hit the right note for success. Now here's the Trout, right after a brief message from our supporter. Meet a financial advisor who learns what truly matters to you, creating financial strategies that support a life you love. That's David Smith with Edward Jones. His years of experience has assisted dozens of clients, just like you, to weave their way through the maze of financial opportunities available. One quick call at 469-372-1587 and David can assist your financial wants and needs. That's David Smith with Edward Jones at 469-372-1587. Remember, it's your financial future, make it a rewarding one. David Smith at 469-372-1587. Hey everybody, it is Rick Troutman, aka The Trout, and welcome to another Trout Show Podcast. Thank you so much for stopping by. This episode of Vinyl to Viral, we're going to look at taking a musical instrument, learning how to play a musical instrument when you're in elementary school, make you a better student. We're going to look into that a little bit more in depth in a second, but I want to kind of tell you how I feel about it. Now, I was exposed to this when I was young, obviously a lot of people were, but I always wanted to play guitar, so I never did want to play a horn or drums or strings or anything like that, so I never took that information in school about learning how to play an instrument. Unfortunately, I've interviewed several non-profits that are involved with providing instruments for those less fortunate students, mostly in the inner city, and what I've discovered is a lot of schools now have abandoned the idea of providing instruments or even music lessons to school students, which I think is sad, and I know more and more people are trying to get into this, but it does make a huge difference in your life, and only if you've done it do you know what I'm talking about. Some people take it, learn how to play it, and when they get older they drop it and say I don't want to play it anymore, but then there are those that are touched by the instrument they learn how to play and make a career of performing that music and that instrument through their whole life. I think we're missing out if we don't give kids a chance to do just that. You know, evidence suggests learning a musical instrument in school can positively impact academic performance, though the strength and specifics vary. Let's talk about exactly what I'm talking about. You know, I'm a lead guitar player. I played guitar for a long time, and I've read and learned that if you have the cognitive ability to play a lot of notes, your brain seems to work functionally better when you're a student. So one of the things that I want to look at is the cognitive benefits of learning how to play an instrument. Studies show musical training enhances cognitive skills like memory, attention, and executive function. For example, a 2014 study in Frontiers in Psychology found children with musical training outperformed peers in verbal, memory, and reading skills likely due to improved auditory processing. When you start learning how to read music, your mind has to take those notes that are on that page and convert them into what your fingers and brain is going to be doing next. So it also helps math and spatial skills. Music education, especially rhythm and notation, correlates with better math performance. A 2009 meta-analyst in the Journal of Educational Psychology noted small but significant improvements in math scores among students with musical training, possibly because of shared skills like pattern recognition and spatial-temporal reasoning. That's true, because when you're learning how to play an instrument, especially if you're with a bunch of other 5th and 6th graders, you've got to keep up and learn that stuff really quick. But, you know, music is kind of a language of its own, and learning an instrument strengthens phonological awareness, aiding reading and language development. Like I said, you have to learn how to read the music. Is that a C? Is that a D? Is that an E? Sharp? What is that? A 2011 study in Music Perception linked music lessons to better reading fluency in young students, and particularly those struggling with dyslexia. A lot of people have that problem, unfortunately. Also learning how to play a musical instrument, you have to have discipline. It takes work to learn how to play, and a lot of focus. Music requires sustained effort and practice, fostering habits that transfer to academics. A 2013 American Psychological Association study found students in music programs had higher GPAs and better time management skills than non-music peers. You know, people talk about organized sports as a great way of people getting together, kids getting together, working with a group of people. Well music does the same thing. It has a social, emotional growth pattern to it. You know, music programs often involve collaboration, boosting motivation, and engagement. A 2017 British Journal Music Education study reported students in music classes showed improved self-esteem and school attendance in directly supporting academic outcomes. There is a gnaw that comes to you when you start learning how to play an instrument and want to get better, especially if you want to get better. And the fact that you're working with your friends and your peers, you just start supporting everybody and you just get smarter, I think. And it also, I think, impacts emotional growth. That's really what I believe. So let's look at a couple of things. There's a couple of things to think about, though, when it comes to this, and that is correlation doesn't equal causation. For actors like socioeconomic status or parallel involvement can inflate perceived benefits. Some studies, like the 2020 Journal of Research in Music Education analysis, found negligible direct academic gains when controlling for these variables suggest music's impact may be supplementary rather than transformative. So it's kind of one of those things you think about, does it really help or doesn't it help? I've always learned people that learn how to play an instrument young and then carry it on seem to do better in school. I'm not one of them because I didn't take classes in school to play a musical instrument. I was in a band, which probably messed up my mind even more. So let's just finish it off with this. Learning an instrument likely enhances cognitive and behavioral skills that support academics, particularly in language, math, and focus. But the effect size is modest and depends on context. Consistent, long-term music education tends to yield stronger results than short-term exposure. That's how I believe and that's why I think it's important that kids in school should have the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument. That's my take on this episode of the Trout Show. Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for listening to the Trout Show podcast, Final DeViral. Until next time, people, remember what I always say, it's only rock and roll, but I love it. Oh, and by the way, don't forget to practice. See ya.