Researchers at the Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) at the University of Southern California conducted a 2 year-study that illustrates that exposure to music and music instruction increases the rate of brain development in  young children. The study focused on the areas of the brain responsible for language development, sound, reading skill and speech perception.

The study began in 2012, when neuroscientists started monitoring a group of 37 children ages 6-8 years old. Thirteen of them received music instruction through the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles Program

The researchers compared various groups by tracking the electrical activity in the brains, conducting behavioural testing and monitored changes using brain scans.

“The results showed that the auditory systems of the children in the music programme had accelerated faster than the other children not engaged in music. Dr. Assal Habibi, the lead author of the study and a senior research associate at the BCI, explained that the auditory system is stimulated by music and the system is also engaged in general sound processing. This is essential to reading skills, language development and successful communication.”

Here is the link to the study: