The Role of Music in Learning

Introduction 

The role played by music in learning continues to attract research as many scholars in education and pedagogy seek answers and prove that indeed there are beneficial impacts from music for learners. In her article in The Washington Post in 2015, Amy Spray posits that studies demonstrate that learning the tuba, for instance, changes one’s brain functions. Further, Laura Lewis Brown (n.d) shows that even in cases where a student does not intend to have a music career in future, having music lessons can boost his/her cognitive abilities and memory on other study areas. Among these studies is the infamous “Mozart effect” on students. The Mozart effect proposes that listening to Mozart makes one not only smarter but also understanding of key concepts in other areas of life (Harmon et al., 2008 & Baker, 2016). While contrary opinion and research on the effect of music in learning exist, a majority of studies agree that music contribute to learning; and this forms the essence of this paper. By focusing on review of literature on past studies, this paper conforms that music plays a significant role in learning in all situations; right from kindergarten to higher education. 

Music plays a great role in the lives of many people around the world. According to Thomas Schäfer (2016) different people have different goals and get different effects listening to music. Further, the author says that people spend up to 18 hours a week listening to music in the West. In addition, the availability of music in different platforms, especially on the Internet and portable devices has increased the role that music plays in people’s live. Music affects how people feel, perceive situations, think and behave or act. The implication is that if music influences our daily activities like perception, thinking and feeling, then it contributes to learning. As stated by Max Baker (2016) while research suggests that performance of certain tasks that require memory and concentration is better in silent environment, subjects tested in places where there is a music background have better results. Further, the Mozart effect has become popular to suggest that music, especially Mozart music, can charge the brain and increase one’s ability to memorize things. Listening to music offers a buffer for a student who may be in a noisy environment and trying to concentrate. For instance, classical music is considered to have the most beneficial effects when learning. As demonstrated in their study Harmon and others found that classic Mozart has positive impact on one’s ability to concentrate in comparison to rock music or being in silence. The researchers found that the relaxation impacts of Mozart allow the brain of a student to prepare for different tasks at hand (Hallam, 2010). However, the study does not explicitly state if rock music has effects on cognitive abilities of a student but proves that music plays a significant role in comprehension. Imperatively, the overall implication is that music enhances concentration when one is studying (Baker 2016 & Harmon et al, 2008). Again, personality influences performances as introverted individuals fair poorly compared to their extroverted counterparts. Music can relieve pressure during exams, especially calming music like listening to a Haydn string quartet helps in mitigating anxiety in a person. 

Music improves the IQ as demonstrated by Amy Spray (2015). By referring to different research findings and studies, the author states that standardized assessments of IQ and one’s music ability are correlated. The author opines that music training improves a host of skills, memory and spatial learning. Music plays a critical role in the development of language skills like verbal memory, verbal intelligence, and literacy. Further, Amy states that musicians have greater abilities in processing speech in environment with increased amount of background noise. They also have a higher propensity in processing auditory signals and have greater ability to detect pitch in their music and language. Research on the effect of music at different development stages in human brain indicates a positive correlation between listening to music and performing language tasks (Hallam, 2010). The study demonstrates that participation in music training accelerates the development of the brain and this effect enhances one’s literacy skills. Music also plays a critical part as it offer a training ground for development of language skills. In addition, studies demonstrate that it can provide an effective, enjoyable and an economic platform that can help one improve their skills in language, especially in children. Laura Lewis Brown posits that music enhances the development of language and language skills among children, adolescents and even adults. The author asserts that children are ready to decode words and sounds but through music education, these natural abilities are enhanced more. Music allows people, especially learners to practice, reinforce, and celebrate their inborn abilities. Music training develops the left side of the brain that is involved in language processing and is responsible for wiring the brain in certain ways. Therefore, by associating familiar lyrics to certain information, the young brain can imprint the information and use it to develop their verbal memory, literacy and intelligence. Brown demonstrates that music and language development’s association offers social advantages to young children (Brown, n.d). With time, language development enhances the part of the brain which assists in processing musical aspects. Imperatively, effective development of social competence and interactions among people in society requires language competence and musical experience or training strengthens one’s ability to attain verbal competence. Musical training in children helps in increasing their sound sensitivity. It also enhances their verbal abilities and logical skills. Music training also alters brain structure and function among children and adolescents (Hallam, 2010). As such, music is fundamental in one’s ability to learn language skills as it increases their sound sensitivity and expands the brain’s ability to process information. 

Music helps in the understanding of a second language. The advantages offered through music training in first language development can enhance the learning of a second language. For instance, studies show that music training help in prolonging the window of time in brain development and allows it to handle complicated auditory input. The implication is that learning second language becomes more attainable to individuals that may have otherwise struggled to learn such a language (Spray, 2015). A study by Liza Lee and Shu-Chuan Lin (2015) demonstrate that music activities affect the acquisition of foreign language skills for young children learning English. The study found that music, musical instrument and supplemental material allowed young learners to develop English learning skills. These results reinforce previous findings that have indicated the benefits of music for children in learning a language. For instance, early, consistent and prolonged use of music have on a child’s ability to learn a second language as it enhances their pronunciation, comprehension, expression and vocabulary. Furthermore, people tend to learn song lyrics faster compared to words and melodies. Upon learning these lyrics, they store them in their memory even without understanding their meaning. Therefore, through the use of songs and music, young learners can retain larger amounts of information on a second language. These studies show that music aids in learning a second language as it improves memory, develops the brain parts that process information, and allows young learners to develop their IQ. 

Music is essential for personal and social development. An individual’s attainment in learning and other areas in life can be impacted by the influence that music has on the psychological, social and personal development. Masoud Azizinezhad and others (2013) assert that music is an education-linked service that promotes learning and acquisition of skills. The researchers posit that when one plays an instrument they attain a feeling of accomplishing goals, increase their confidence and self-esteem and are persistent in getting solutions to problems when learning becomes difficult. Further, music nurtures self-discipline and offers a means of self-expression (Lehmann & Seufert, 2017). Effectively, an individual increases their motivation for learning and supports better achievement of their goals. The authors also posit that participation in musical groups enhances friendships, social skills development and learning, and social networking. The article also confirms that music increases concentration and offers an outlet for one to relax (. These beneficial impacts of music in social learning and development demonstrate that music is an integral part of both formal and informal learning for individuals irrespective of their age or developmental stage. 

A study by Dave Miranda carried out in 2013 shows that music offers psychological benefits to adolescents. The author asserts that by involving themselves in music during learning, adolescents can nurture positive social, cultural and psychological perspectives which allow them to refrain from participating in negative cognitive conduct during their leisure moment. Miranda suggests that by developing and motivating young adults or teens to participate in music, society can help them to desist from vices like drug and substance abuse, crime and negative perceptions on their body image which affects their learning abilities and motivation for an education. Through music participation in groups, the bonding experiences can prevent or assist in eradicating negative perceptions like stereotyping and disdain or disapproval of certain cultures that impacts socialization in diverse society like the current one in the United States and other parts of the world. Socialization through music participation is essential in the psychological and social development of adolescents. As noted by Ewa Miendlarzewaska and Wiebke Trost, musical training impacts cognitive development as it boosts motor functioning in the brain and increases verbal memory (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2014). Further, the authors state that music lays a foundation for the development of a range of social skills that enhances social development and positive psychological attitudes which leads to good cognitive development for teens, and children. 

Music affects the brain and IQ as it allows them to expand and grow. Listening to music is pleasurable since it increases the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a ‘feel good” neurotransmitter that enables one to get the beneficial effects of music while learning. Dopamine promotes learning through rewards and its deficiency leads to learning punishments. The implication is that music affects learning, especially pleasurable music that hinders reinforcement learning but allows the brain to develop optimally (Gold et al., 2013). The brains of musicians work in a different way compared to those of non musicians. For instance, children involved in music attain larger growth in their neural activities compared to those not in music training. Playing a music instrument entails one using more of their brain than when not playing. Music training changes brain structure and functions as it improves long-term memory and enhances brain development for young children. Studies demonstrate that musicians are more alert than non-musicians because they have better sensory processes than the rest. Studies also indicate that children who receive music instructions at an early age have improves sound discrimination and have better motor tasks due to changes in the brain networks linked to these abilities. Brain changes occur in the corpus callosum which a huge bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two sides of the brain. Research studies using brain scans show that musicians have larger corpus callosum compared to those who are not musicians. Again, sections that involve movement, hearing and spatial abilities related to vision are large among professional keyboard players compared to other people and musicians. Further, children that undertook longer musical training sessions, for instance, over 14 months, show enhanced structural and functional changes to their brains. Effectively, these studies ascertain that learning music or musical training and playing instrument increases the grey matter volume in different parts of the brain. In addition, musical activities strengthen long-range interconnections among the different regions and the grey matter. The long-lasting positive effects on brain for musicians does not depend on the period that they have been involved in music; which suggests that even shorter periods of musical activities are essential to learning and have positive correlation with brain development in the long-term (Rampton, 2017). The improvement in IQ and spatial skills are a fundamental part of understanding the effects of music on learning and development, especially for children. Increase in IQ as demonstrated in various studies indicate that music increases grey matter in the brain. As posited by Janina Lehmann and Tina Seufert (2018) fostering learning requires the ability of children to recall and comprehend text, sounds and visuals used by instructors. Consequently, music allows children to increase their abilities to use visual skills to remember sounds and texts in learning. 

Conclusion 

The paper has shown that music plays a crucial and long-term role in the developmental learning of individuals. The Mozart effect is a phenomenon that illustrates this in more explicit manner than research findings on the effect of music on cognitive development and brain functions. This paper shows that music affects brain development, IQ and personal and social development in learning at different stages of growth. Using a vast amount of research findings, the article illustrates the fundamental effects of music and explains the reasons informing the interest that the subject continues to draw among researchers. 

References 

Azizinezhad, M., Hashemi, M. & Darvishi, S. (2013) Music as an education-related service to promote learning and skills acquisition. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences , vol. 93, pp. 142-145. Retrieved from https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042813032709/1-s2.0-S1877042813032709-main.pdf?_tid=e99b7eba-a813-435e-843c-5b7775e6e3b2&acdnat=1527194384_cc0e27260da139b32da9d76bced30da5 

Baker, M. (2016) How Music Could Help You Concentrate While Studying. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/how-music-could-help-you-to-concentrate-while-studying-a6907341.html 

Brown, L. L (n.d). The Benefits of Music Education. Retrieved May 14, 2018 from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education/ 

Gold, B. P., Frank, M. J., Bogert, B. & Brattico, E. (2013) Pleasurable music affects reinforcement learning according to the listener. Frontiers in Psychology . Vol. 4 Article 541.  Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00541 

Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people.  International Journal Of Music Education ,  28 (3), 269-289. 

Harmon, L., Troester, K., Pickwick, T., & Pelosi, G. (2008). The Effects of Different Types of Music on Cognitive Abilities.  Journal Of Undergraduate Psychological Research ,  3 . 

Lee, L. & Lin, S. C. (2015) The Impact of Music Activities on Foreign Language, English Learning for Young Children. Journal of the European Teacher Education Network , vol. 10, pp.13-23. Retrieved from http://jeten-online.org/index.php/jeten/article/view/63/53 

Lehmann, J. M. A., & Seufert, T. (2017) The Influence of Background Music on Learning in the Light of Different Theoretical Perspectives and the Role of Working Memory Capacity. Frontiers in Psychology , vol. 31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01902 

Lehmann, J. M. A., & Seufert, T. (2018) Can Music Foster Learning – Effects of Different Text Modalities on Learning and Information Retrieval. Frontiers in Psychology . DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02305 

Miendlarzewska, E., & Trost, W. (2014). How musical training affects cognitive development: rhythm, reward and other modulating variables.  Frontiers In Neuroscience ,  7 . 

Miranda, D. (2013). The role of music in adolescent development: much more than the same old song. International Journal Of Adolescence And Youth ,  18 (1), 5-22. 

Schäfer , T. (2016) The Goals and Effects of Music Listening and Their Relationship to the Strength of Music Preference. PLoS ONE 11(3): e0151634. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151634 

Spray, A. (2015) The Science of why music improves our memory and verbal intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/07/21/the-science-of-why-music-improves-our-memory-and-verbal-intelligence/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.67ebdf5cae91 

Rampton, J. (2017) The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/the-benefits-of-playing-music-help-your-brain-more.html