A Musical Boost

Is there a strong nexus between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes: Music boosts assorted language abilities, as in music and hearing or music and speech, in the brain.

Music and Hearing

A study from Northwestern University shows that playing a musical instrument can greatly augment a person’s hearing ability. As a part of the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

Musicians hear better, says study leader Nina Kraus, because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists in an orchestra. When the violinists play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and disregard the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to fixate on specific sounds thanks to their highly trained ears, even with a lot of cacophony in a loud room.

Music and Speech

Gottfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, helps the convalescents with stroke1. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information traditionally. However, they can still sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find that singing words helped them to eventually speak. Why does this work? Schlaug isn’t sure. Music seems to activate2 different parts of the brain, including the impaired parts with limited function. This somehow helps them use those parts of the brain again.

Understanding the Results

Music improves concentration, memory, listening skills, and our overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better. Playing an instrument or singing, says Nina Kraus, can help us do better in school and keep our brains agile as we get older. Music, therefore, is not only enjoyable; it’s also good for us in many other ways.

 

1A stroke is an illness of the brain. It can make a person unable to move one side of their body.

2If you activate something, you make it start working.