Study Suggests Engaging in Music Classes May Boost Children’s Literacy

The journal Frontiers in Psychology published a study on Tuesday, December 17th with research which suggests actively engaging in music classes can help improve literacy in children. Scientists at Northwestern University used electrode wires in this study, along with button sensors to monitor brain responses in students. The authors of the study observed that those youth who actively engaged in music classes “scored higher on literacy tests and exhibited improved language functioning.”

“Even in a group of highly motivated students, small variations in music engagement – attendance and class participation – predicted the strength of neutral processing after music training,” study lead author Nina Kraus said in a press release. Kraus is a professor in communication sciences, and neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University. 
It seems the type of class the student attends is also a factor: Students who physically engaged in the class by playing the musical instrument exhibited more improved neural processing in comparison to those who just attended a music appreciation class. 
frontiersin.org/psychology