Benefits of Music Education (80+ Studies)
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Last updated Music is a wonderful thing, fulfilling and worthwhile in and of itself. And while we should never lose sight of this fact, science has also discovered many additional benefits associated with music education and listening to music in general which are worth exploring.
This page records and categorises these benefits of music according to science.
Video overview
Legend:
Study shows a benefit of learning a musical instrument or singing.
Study shows a benefit of listening to music.
Memory
Improves cognitive performance
A study on healthy older adults showed that those with musical experience of ten or more years scored higher on cognitive tests compared to musicians with less the ten years of experience and non-musicians.
Read the source: Pubmed
Improves memorisation
According to this study, listening to music you like helps with the reinforcement of learning and the recall of information.
Read the source: NCBI
Increases memory recall
In this study, participants who were asked to read and recall a short list of words performed better when listening to classical music compared to those who listened to white nose or silence.
Read the source: NCBI
Slows cognitive decline
In a study of adults with early memory loss, researchers discovered that listening to music improves memory function and lowers self-reports of cognitive decline in patients with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.
Read the source: Journal of Alzheimers Disease
Language
Improves speech response in babies
This research shows that play sessions with music improve babies’ brain processing of both music and new speech sounds.
Read the source: University of Washington
Enhances speech response throughout a lifetime
According to this study, older adults who had music lessons as children yet did not play music most of their adulthood have faster brain response to speech sounds compared to those who never learned to play an instrument.
Read the source: Journal of Neuroscience
Improves linguistic development
It has been shown that regular music play for 5-6 year old children has a positive effect on linguistic skills.
Read the source: Scientific Reports – Nature
Helps with word discrimination
Researchers have found that piano lessons have a specific effect on kindergartners’ ability to distinguish between different pitches, which translates into an improvement in distinguishing between words.
Read the source: MIT
Improves reading and language skills
In a study presented at the American Psychological Association’s 122nd Annual Convention, it was shown that learning to play a musical instrument can help disadvantaged children improve their language and reading skills.
Read the source: Northwestern University
Improves reading ability
Children who learned to play the piano exhibited enhanced reading and vocabulary ability compared to children who did not undergo any type of music tuition, according to a study published in the Journal Psychology of Music.
Read the source: Sage
Enhances verbal intelligence
After only one month of music lessons (in rhythm, pitch, melody and voice), a study at York University showed that 90% of children between the ages of 4 and 6 had a significant increase in verbal intelligence.
Read the source: Sage
Better discernment of sounds and speech
In a study published by Northwestern University, it was shown that musicians better coped with the effects of aging on their ability to hear words even with noise in the background.
Read the source: Plos One
Learning & intelligence
Boosts performance in science, maths and English
High school students who took up music courses scored significantly higher in maths, science and English exams compared to their non-musical peers, according to this study.
Read the source: University of British Columbia
Improves maths skills
In one study from the Center for the Study of Human Development, it was demonstrated that piano lessons can significantly enhance maths ability compared to people who did not take up music lessons.
Read the source: Brown University
Increases IQ scores
A study from the journal Psychological Science, showed that voice and keyboard lessons were able to increase the IQ scores of the participants when given before an IQ test.
Read the source: Sage
Is associated with higher IQ test scores
In a study from the Karolinska Institutet, it was discovered that those who scored better on intelligence tests are those who do well with tapping to a rhythm.
Read the source: Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University
Improves reasoning, planning and organisation
According to the study published in the journal Frontiers, music lessons results in improvement in language-based reasoning and the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks which can translate to better academic performance scores.
Read the source: Frontiers
Increases focus and ability to absorb information
Studies have shown that instrument training from an early age can help the brain to better process sounds, making it easier to stay focused when absorbing information from other subjects.
Read the source: Scientific American
Enhances verbal intelligence and executive function
A study published in the journal Psychological Science states that music training, even for a short duration, was able to enhance the performances of 90% of preschool participants on tests measuring verbal intelligence and executive function.
Executive function includes abilities such as concentration, short-term memory, self-control, task switching, problem solving, learning and reasoning.
Read the source: Pubmed
Enhances vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning
The results of this study suggest that instrumental music training may enhance auditory discrimination, fine motor skills, vocabulary, and non-verbal reasoning.
Read the source: PLOS
Invokes high states of concentration
A study from Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustic showed that fast drum beats can place the mind in a state of increased concentration.
Read the source: Stanford
Increases attention span
A study from the University of Southern Denmark showed that just 12 minutes of listening to binaural beats and 4 weeks of mindfulness training were effective interventions to counteract the effects of mental fatigue on sustained attention.
Read the source: University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences
Acts as a reward that drives learning
According to a study published by the National Academy of Sciences, music can act as a reward that motivates participants into learning.
Read the source: PNAS
Motor Function
Develops brain motor function
People who performed a basic movement task while listening to music showed increased connectivity between the regions of the brain that processes sound and control movement, which suggests music can enhance brain motor function.
Read the source: ScienceDirect
Improves movement in some diseases
In a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, it was found that music therapy was able to improve the movement of patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Read the source: Psychosomatic Medicine
Exercise
Speeds up reaction time and improves multisensory processing
In this study, musicians were found to react faster to external stimuli and have “a statistical advantage when responding to multisensory stimuli compared to non-musicians”.
Read the source: ScienceDirect
Strengthens breathing and swallowing muscles
In a study published in the Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation, it was shown that singing was able to help those with Parkinson’s disease maintain the muscle strength of their respiratory, swallowing, and voice muscles.
Read the source: Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation
Helps post-workout recovery
Listening to slow music after a work out helps with the post-workout recovery as mentioned in a study from Narayana Medical College.
Read the source: NCBI
Makes exercise seem easier
A study published in the journal Frontiers was able to determine that listening to high tempo music during endurance training exercises like walking was able to reduce the perceived effort when performing the exercise.
Read the source: Frontiers
Makes people run faster
According to one study, runners who listened to fast motivational songs ran faster than those who listened to calm music or no music at all.
Read the source: National Strength and Conditioning Association
Increases endurance
Music is a natural energiser. In fact, according to a study from Brunel University, listening to music while exercising increases endurance by as much as 15%.
Read the source: Brunel University
Breathing
Alleviates some respiratory diseases
A study from Mount Sinai Beth Israel found that when patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease participated in music therapy involving wind instruments, they reported improvement with their symptoms, psychological well-being, and quality of life compared to patients who received rehabilitation alone.
Read the source: Respiratory Medicine
Brain Function
Improves brain circulation
A study from the University of Liverpool was able to determine that musical training is capable of increasing blood flow to the brain which improves brain circulation.
Read the source: Frontiers
Improves mental functioning in the elderly
In a study published in PLOS, elderly people with minimal music experience showed an improvement in cognitive flexibility and working memory after six months of piano instruction.
Read the source: PLOS
Helps with stroke recovery
Music was determined to have rejuvenating properties even for a brain that is traumatised. In one study from the University of Helsinki featuring patients that suffered from a stroke, listening to music was able to significantly improve mood, attention, and memory.
Read the source: University of Helsinki
Immune System
Increases antibody production
In a study from Willamette University, it was found that those who experienced active participation in musical activity had increased antibody production which could correspond to an increase in immune function.
Read the source: NCBI
Improves ability to fight infections
In the journal for Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, a study was presented showing that drumming can increase the activity of circulating white blood cells in our body thereby increasing our ability to fight infections.
Read the source: NCBI
Mood
Improves quality of life
According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, group singing in the context of patients with dementia was able to increase the participants’ report of quality of life.
Read the source: Frontiers
Improves mood while driving
A study from Philips Research Laboratories showed that listening to music while driving improves mood which can, in turn, improve road safety.
Read the source: NCBI
Reduces depression
Music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems, researchers have discovered on a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Read the source: Wiley
Makes you happy
The journal Nature released a study stating that listening to music causes an increased release of dopamine. Dopamine is the same substance released whenever we feel happy or rewarded thereby proving a relationship between music and its pleasurable effects.
Read the source: Nature
Anxiety
Leads to focused attention, controlled emotions and reduced anxiety in children
A study from the University of Vermont suggests that playing the violin leads to focused attention, controlled emotions, and diminished anxiety in children.
Read the source: University of Vermont
Relaxes the body
In a study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, it was stated that using classical music as an intervention was able to decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure and slow down respiration thereby providing an overall relaxing effect to the body.
Read the source: PubMed
Decreases stress levels
In one study it was shown that those who listened to self-selected or classical music experience decreased levels of stress compared to those who listened to heavy metal music or just silence.
Read the source: Springer
Reduces pre-surgery anxiety
The anxiety-reducing effects of music are so strong it is even used to help with pre-surgery anxiety in surgical patients in a study published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
Read the source: Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
Decreases cortisol levels
A study published in Mcgill shows that listening to music decreases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
Read the source: Mcgill
Decreases stress levels during day surgery
In a study published in the British Journal of Surgery, researchers found that music is effective in decreasing the levels of stress a patient experiences during a day operation.
Read the source: Wiley
Reduces anxiety prior to minor surgery
Music can also be used for minor procedures to reduce anxiety and help with patient sedation according to the study published in the journal Applied Nursing Research.
Read the source: Applied Nursing Research
Decreases anxiety and depression
In another study from The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the use of music therapy on Alzheimer’s patients was able to decrease anxiety and depression in both self-report and salivary markers for stress.
Read the source: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Relieves anxiety and fatigue
Cancer patients experiencing anxiety and fatigue experienced relief while undergoing music therapy. This was stated in a study by Drexel University published by Cochrane.
Read the source: Cochrane
Reduces anxiety in heart attack patients
Music was proven to be effective in relieving stress in patients with presumptive myocardial infarction or heart attacks based on a study published in
Read the source: EuroPMC
Lowers anxiety in children
Children diagnosed with cancer and under isolation showed positive results with music therapy in resolving their anxiety according to a study published in the journal Music Therapy.
Read the source: Oxford University
Reduces anxiety in stroke patients
A study from the journal, Rehabilitation Nursing, was able to show that having stroke patients listen to music even for just an hour was able to reduce their anxiety scores during acute rehabilitation.
Read the source: Pubmed
Reduces anxiety as efficiently as oral medication
According to this study, the effects of relaxing music on patients’ anxiety prior to surgery were comparable to orally given medications without apparent adverse effects.
Read the source: NCBI
Sleep
Reduces sleeping issues
A study published by the Journal of Advanced Nursing was able to demonstrate that relaxing classical music is an effective intervention in reducing sleeping problems.
Read the source: Journal of Advanced Nursing
Can improve chronic insomnia
A study was able to demonstrate that listening to music for 45 minutes before sleep for four days shortened stage 2 sleep duration while extending REM sleep which translates to improved sleep in adults with chronic insomnia.
Read the source: NCBI
Is effective for both acute and chronic insomnia
Music therapy, when used in adult participants, was able to improve both acute and chronic sleep disorders according in an analysis of randomised studies.
Read the source: ScienceDirect
Productivity
Increases creativity
A study published in PLOS states that listening to happy music leads to an increase in creativity as compared to working in silence.
Read the source: PLOS
Improves quality of work
A study observed 56 software engineers while working while either listening to music or or in silence. The study found that the quality of work improved while participants listened to music.
Read the source: Sage
Increases productivity for repetitive tasks
This study found an increase in productivity when background music was played while a repetitive task was performed.
Read the source: ScienceDirect
Helps with accuracy and efficiency
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that surgeon accuracy and efficiency improved when surgeons worked with music playing especially if they were the ones who selected the songs.
Read the source: JAMA
Pain Relief
Increases pain threshold
According to a study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, playing the drums, singing, and dancing increases your endorphin levels making you more resistant to the pain experience.
Read the source: Evolutionary Psychology
Relieves pain after surgery
Patients under the study of Mount Sinai School of Medicine were able to report pain relief after spine surgery through the use of music therapy that includes live music and patient preferred songs.
Read the source: Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Relieves chronic pain
A study from the Clinical Journal of Pain was able to show that two daily sessions of listening to music helped a group of patients with chronic pain relieves their symptoms associated with their medical conditions.
Read the source: NCBI
Reduces pain from fibromyalgia
Another study from the Pain Management Nursing journal states that music is an effective treatment for the pain symptoms of fibromyalgia, a condition known for its severe pain.
Read the source: Pain Management Nursing
Reduces pain and anxiety after heart attacks
According to the American College of Cardiology, heart attack patients who listened to their preferred genre of music for 30 minutes a day reported significantly lower levels of anxiety and pain when tested.
Read the source: American College of Cardiology
Blood Pressure
Playing a musical instrument lowers blood pressure
According to a study published in the Netherland Heart Journal, playing the guitar or a musical instrument lowers blood pressure as compared to the group that does not play a musical instrument.
Read the source: NCBI
Lowers blood pressure in cardiac patients
A study featured in the American Journal of Critical Care states that listening to music was able to reduce the blood pressure of cardiac surgery patients staying in the hospital.
Read the source: American Journal of Critical Care
Lowers blood pressure and relaxes the body
Listening to Mozart and ABBA was shown in one study to lower heart rate and blood pressure signifying its ability to relax the body.
Read the source: NCBI
Social
Increases self-esteem
According to one study published in Sage Journals, it was found that playing the piano weekly for three years increases the self-esteem of students compared to those that receive no music instruction.
Read the source: Sage
Makes people more attractive
In a study published in the Journal Psychology of Music, it was shown that the women judged men holding a guitar case to be more attractive than men holding a sports bag.
Read the source: Sage
Is associated with being more charitable
A study from Chorus America was able to highlight that choral singers are more likely to be involved in charity work as volunteers or as donors as compared to the average person.
Read the source: Chorus America
Increases teamwork
Listening to happy music at work has been shown to increase teamwork in offices according to a study done by Cornell University.
Read the source: Cornell University
Helps with parental bonding
In a study from the University of Arizona, it was shown that children who listened to music with their parents reported better quality relationships with their parents when they reached the age of young adulthood.
Read the source: University of Arizona
Made men more attractive to women
A study has found that when women heard music before looking at pictures of men, they rated the male faces as more attractive and more likely for them to date.
Read the source: PLOS
Eating
Helps you eat less
A study from Cornell found that when people eat with soft ambient music and lighting, they ate less and reported increased enjoyment with their food.
Read the source: Psychological Reports
Enhances the taste of food
Researchers from the University of Oxford have discovered a link between music and food taste. It was shown that high pitched music like the ones heard with flutes, enhances sweet and sour flavors while low pitch sounds like those heard with tubas strengthen bitter flavors.
Read the source: Wiley
Effects food choices
In a study, a randomly chosen cafe played different music on two different days and found that softer, more gentle music was associated with higher sales of healthy food while louder, noisier music lead to less healthy choices.
Read the source: Springer
Helps dementia patients to eat
According to a 2018 study which uses the Music and Memory intervention program on dementia patients, it was shown that the program was able to enhance the patient’s swallowing mechanism, decrease the incidence of choking, and improving patients’ nutritional status.
Read the source: Music and Memory
Final thoughts on benefits of music education
As we’ve seen, music education can offer powerfully positive, lifelong benefits for students. And while there’s still a lot of work to be done by researchers before the benefits are fully understood, but the body of evidence is growing.
Do you know of a piece of research that we missed? For that and anything else, please leave us a comment.
