A new study by researchers at the University of Vermont Medical College and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that music lessons help children develop fine motor skills, as well as develop emotional and behavioral maturity.

The research shows that the more trained a child is on an instrument, improvements in attention, anxiety management, and emotional control were displayed. These skills are related to the outer layer of the brain, the cortex. The cortex changes in thickness as a child develops, and has been found to be related to depression, aggression, and attention problems. The children in the study were healthy 6 to 18 year olds, so it is not clear what effect music lessons may have on children who are not healthy.

If your nieces or nephews show interest in playing an instrument, their budding music skills aren’t the only thing that will be developed. Have any of you seen this with your nieces or nephews?


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Published January 14, 2015