Parenting Matters: How Music Helps Kids Learn Better

Studies have found that mothers singing to their babies enhances their development. (Prostock-studio/Shutterstock)

Some time ago, my friend Brian sent me a short video of his 6-year-old granddaughter playing the piano. It truly was spell-binding. Tears ran down my face as I listened to the very familiar strains of “America,” metered out by 10 tiny fingers on a beautiful grand piano. She sat straight and tall on her piano bench with her arms parallel to her lap, as her feet, in pretty black patents, dangled far above the floor.

Her performance reminded me of how important music is to families all over the world, and how valuable a tool that music becomes in helping kids learn, and enjoy life.

While visiting a museum in New York once, my wife, Mary, and I were awed by a display of cultural development. Archeologists and anthropologists told us that most ancient cultures had music; they played it on instruments they invented. They danced to it, sang it, and lived it. Much of the early music was little more than rhythm, but it picked up depth and body as time went on. Music was a part of their lives, just like it’s a part of ours.

Dr. Patricia Kuhl, a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, investigated the effects of early music exposure on speech processing in 9-month-old infants. She found that “When infants listen to people talking, or singing, the brain centers they use to talk back are activated, long before they are able to talk.”

Another study concluded that mothers singing to their infants “enhances the development of a broader set of perceptual skills, raising the possibility that music may be beneficial to infant learning.”

These are very scientific, erudite studies that show what most parents already know: Babies and kids of all ages love music, and music contributes to making them better, quicker learners.

Other studies tell us that the brains of babies who listen to their mother’s singing have more positive cortical activity than the brains of babies listening to a recording of the same music—just like hearing a recording of a book is not as rewarding as having a parent read it to them. Babies, like all of us social beings, need people at every stage of life. Music training enhances the neural processing of pitch and improves speech perception in children.

Attendees at a live concert produce less stress hormone, while there, than do their peers listening at home. Maybe this is one fact you should keep from your teens, unless you want them out of the house for the evening.

I was telling one of my sons that studying music greatly enhances a child’s ability to learn another language, just like already knowing a second language makes learning a third easier. Being a math major with a minor in music performance, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Of course. Music is another language.”

Kids who take music lessons of any kind tend to do better in math, language, and other subjects, especially those that require memorization.

I recently had a chance to talk with Dr. Lesley Maxwell Mann, an assistant professor of choral music education and the coordinator of music education at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I asked her to tell us about any new findings regarding music and learning. I was astounded to hear of a study showing that kids who started studying music at age 6 or 7 had evidence of better decision-making five years later. The children also showed MRI evidence of more cortical brain activity and a larger brain cortex.

Even more interesting, Mann said that college kids experienced in playing musical instruments had more resilience in the face of failure than those who didn’t. She said that excelling at any instrument involves many wrong notes, much correction, and repetition in order to succeed. She claimed this resilience was transferred to other areas of learning.

What it is that makes humans desire music, I don’t know. And today’s music seems to change with each generation. 

In today’s world, while most everyone enjoys music and many are envious of those who perform, some schools are reluctant to spend the money it takes to buy the instruments and space needed to teach music. Some even leave out vocal music, which only requires a faculty member and sheet music. So why should kids study music, and why should schools teach music?

The National Association for Music Education lists many reasons. These include that mastering music requires memorization and increases memory, which will serve them throughout their lives. Music also teaches that there’s no place for mediocrity; there’s a right and wrong in music, as in life. Performing music helps in the search for excellence in other fields. Like sports, playing an instrument helps eye-hand coordination, discipline, goal-setting, and teamwork, all of which build self-confidence.

Another great reason that schools should teach music is that it helps kids get involved in school. Fewer kids love English or math class, while more love music or sports and are motivated to study other disciplines so they can continue in those they love.

I checked with my friend Brian recently; he said his granddaughter is 10 years old now and still loving her piano, practicing, and doing well. He also sent a short video of her playing without sheet music! It was beautiful! It’s too bad you can’t hear it. Her two siblings and her cousins are taking piano lessons now. It looks like music is contagious, too.

I hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl; I didn’t like the final score, but had a great time watching with Mary and our dog Frosty! The best part of every evening for Frosty happens just before her bedtime. Each night, I sing to her and rub her tummy. She loves it, and when we finish the final verse, she sits up and I put her into her bed.

Try singing to, and with, your kids before they go to bed. You’ll find they go to bed more relaxed and sleep better during the night.

Enjoy your kids and your spouse, and may God continue to bless you and your family!