Personal Narrative: How Music Can Help Children With Disabilities

The study found that when developing students are learning to play and instrument that they develop the ability to not just hear and appreciate the sounds of music differently but also process the sounds in a different way compared to kids of the same age not learning an instrument. This is due to learn to play an instrument help develop neurophysiological distinction which has been linked to aid and boost literacy and this which possibly improve success in academics. A quote that I believe is really great in driving home this point is by Nina Kraus in her book “Frontiers in Psychology” and that quote is, “We like to say that making music matters, Because it is only through the active generation and manipulation of sound that music can rewire the brain.” And she was saying this after hosting a study at Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Lab. And the experiment was to see if a music appreciation class had the same effect as actually learning and participating in band class. And they found that the kids that were in the process of learning an instrument has better of improved neural processing skills than the students who were only in music appreciation group.

In their “Music Matters” pamphlet, the Arts Education Association argues that arts education improves students’ abilities in Core tested areas and brain development. It is vital for every child to be able to better themselves in addition to their mind. A new study from the National Institutes of Health Magnetic Resonance (MRI) Study of Normal Brain Development says that training in music helps children be more mature emotionally and behaviorally, in addition to refined fine motor skills (Nutt). These are the developments that all children need in order to develop healthily. Mathematical skills are learned and reinforced in musical practice, which is why band kids perform better in math than their other nonmusical peers as they age in their educational careers (Arts Education Partnership). This is important because this development is dual-purposed for two subjects and relates them both to academic improvement. Leveling the playing field in the terms of students better understanding an essential subject will also aid in their development because they will be able to understand English more. Music students also have stronger determination, leadership skills, and observation and performance abilities that future universities and employers search for in successful students and employees (Arts Education Partnership). These benefits are multi-purposed and useful in numerous aspects of a person’s academic and employment future. Should these be made available for all students in order to give them equal opportunities to prepare them for the real world, then they will most likely have the opportunity to become

Perhaps the most tangible benefit of music education for students is the increase in their performance in the classroom. People often say, “Music makes you smarter,” but where is the evidence? As South Dakota State University’s Professor Kevin Kessler eloquently stated via email, “How were you

Having a music class will definitely help kids of all ages to improve their academic performance. Academic performance is a huge key to our life. Not only that academic is a huge factor in our life, academic performance can definitely shape our future in a good way. According to a Professor name Glenn Schellenberg of University of Toronto who found a small increase in the IQ’s of six years old who was given weekly lesson of music during the nine months he had given them. He also did a study by experimenting children entering first grade, then before entering second grade. Their IQ’s was improved by three points which is higher by three points compared to other groups during the school year who took a music class and who did not (The Benefits of Music Education). Now that we know music can improve your IQs, we are going to know how music can do so.

* ““95% percent of Americans believe that music is a key-component in a child’s well-rounded education, 80% percent of respondents agreed that music makes the participants smarter; 78% believe that learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subject areas; and 88% believe participation in music helps teach children discipline” (Hurley 3),” (par 1).

Arts and music even benefits younger children. A study was done with Goodlow Elementary Magnet School, Whittier Elementary and Boone Elementary, three elementary schools in Chicago with high ethnic diversity. The study found that 4th graders who started an arts education program had an 11.5% point gain on standardized test scores by the time they started 6th grade just two years later. Just two years. Imagine what the gain would be if these students continued in music for the rest of their

Over the past 20 years, numerous scientific studies found a strong positive relation between playing music, intellectual capacity, personal growth and social interaction with others. Researchers maintained that music can also help children in acquiring literacy, consequently improving their academic achievement. We now know that music impacts different areas of child development; including intellectual, social and emotional, motor, language, and literacy skills (Barrett & Bond, 2014).

Learning music positively affects a student's academic career. Brain imaging revealed that musicians have greater activity in their hippocampus and limbic system, which are related to memory retention and emotional processing. With this increase in brain activity, people with music training both develop better communication skills and display more empathy (Source B). Despite the substantial benefit music education has, critics still believe that funding for music education can be used for more advantageous expenditures such as lowering class size or upgrading facilities (Source D). However, these critics overlook the importance music education has on the overall growth of students. Studies in neuroaesthetics discovered profound effects music has on the development of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher level thinking and motor skills. As a result, musicians are "better at drawing comparisons, forming constructive criticism and analyzing alternative viewpoints" (Source B). By providing students with music education, schools can enrich their students with more than what traditional academics

“A study by Virginia Penhune at Concordia University shows that musical training, particularly instrumental training, produces long lasting changes in motor abilities and brain structure. The earlier a child starts instrumental training, the stronger the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. These changes last into adulthood and are proven to affect the ability to listen and communicate as an adult. Nina Krauss, a cognitive neuroscientist at Northwestern University, just released a study that older adults who took music lessons at a young age can process the sounds of speech faster than those who did not, even if they haven’t picked up an instrument in 40 years,” (Music, Art and Language Programs in Schools Have Long-Lasting). Music plays a key role in brain development as well as helping with communication skills and so much more. Music is one of few things that works both hemispheres at the same time. It makes you listen, learn, think, and feel things inexpressible with

The study was based off of the evaluations of students with Down Syndrome by their caregivers. It was done in a school environment so no home caregivers were included. The experience of the caregivers ranged from only a few years to many years, but averaged at about five and a half years (Pineaar 38). They were nineteen participants and they all had similar thoughts on how music therapy affected their students. They filled out at twenty-nine item questionnaire (Pineaar 38) and the results were put together. When placed in a classroom setting, the caregivers responses showed that children with Down Syndrome can become emotional during music making sessions. They are however, not usually very outgoing or patient during the sessions due to behavioral developmental delays (Pineaar 39) The overall agreement was that music therapy was a useful tool in the classroom and individual setting (Pineaar

Music has elements which tie in with other school subjects such as math and history. When first learning music and the counting for each note, it can represent simple fractions that is learned in third grade math. Students can learn the different genres of music and the history behind what they love. In addition to the early exposure of basic education, music can also expand one’s knowledge in other subjects. Listening and learning music can stimulate parts of the brain that the simple reading, writing, and mathematics classes can’t. It has been said before that listening to classical music can stimulate certain neurons in the brain, which improves test scores. Overall, music can be beneficial to all aspects of

My professor observed that his son instinctively knew that he had to end his melody on the tonic or root of the key to end the song without even realizing that he was doing so. This goes to show that kids may naturally have the ability to listen and observe music at a young age because it is all around them. I discovered an interesting article written by Phillip F. Scheme on how music improves brain function where he studied various experiments done by doctors. I’d like to point out one specific study performed by Antoine Shahin, who received his PhD in Medical Physics from McMaster University in Canada. In Phillip’s review of Shahin's studies he stated, “Shahin believes that musical training gives an individual the acoustic responsiveness of a child some 2 - 3 years older. In talking about the effect of music on the brain, he said the studies do not necessarily show that musical training leads to enhanced IQ or creativity. Shahin's main findings are that the changes triggered by listening to musical sound increase with age and the greatest increase occurs between the ages of 10 and 13”. This most likely indicates this is a sensitive period for music and speech acquisition. Phillip also was able to form a conclusion from Professor Glenn Schulenburg who teaches in the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto. Schulenburg’s investigations directly assessed if musical ability improves brain function. He found that listening to music in headphones seems to improve a person’s performance on certain cognitive tests, at least in the short run; but the actual music lessons that kids can take throughout their childhood can lead to improved memory and overall brain

Participation in school music programs, whether through band or choir, provides children with academic benefits that give them a significant advantage in their future learning. For example, the brain of a musician, overall, works harder than that of a non-musician. A study led by Ellen Winner, professor of psychology at Boston College, and Gottfried Schlaug, professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, found significant improvements in certain brain functions for children who received fifteen months of weekly music instruction and practice. These improved functions included fine motor skills and sound discrimination abilities, which are two key areas in a child’s development. One may point out that skills like this could be easily provided by other classes found at a child’s school, but music has an advantage because for many

Music strengthens a student’s memorization and comprehension skills as much, if not more, than any core subject they participles in at school. Playing an instrument is cognitively taxing. Notes and fret patterns not only requires memorization to be played in a song, but also promote hand eye coordination. Math is analogous to music. In math class a student learns how to problem solve by memorizing a sequential order. Musicians use the same method for learning a new song. According to a study published in the journal Psychology of Music “Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers.” As this research indicates student’s cognitive abilities are positively impacted by their participation in music training.

Vaiouli and Ogle (2015) studied a single student diagnosed with ASD in a general education classroom using three music strategies: (a) the use of pre-composed songs, (b) the use of song-writing, and (c) music stations. Pre-composed songs were used to signal transitions between activities, such as the end of free-play