Anita Holford, co-editor of Music Education Works, talks with James McPherson, Managing Director of Music Leaders UK, about a new music course and award for secondary school age students.
Author: anitanee
Your Music Education Works enews – which format do you prefer?
You may not know, but as well as subscribing to updates direct from this website, you can also subscribe to a very occasional enews –
Participation in extra-curricular arts activities is associated with long-lasting benefits [England, 2024, 10,500 students]
A new report examines which students are accessing extra-curricular activities and the long-term outcomes of students who do participate.
Music can be key to breaking down social barriers and creating connection and bonding
A team of social neuroscientists from Bar-Ilan University and the University of Chicago developed a model of the brain that focuses on what happens when
A lifetime of being musical may improve our brain health [England, 2024, 1,107 participants, 3 years]
A new study by the University of Exeter has found a connection between brain health in old age and playing a musical instrument.
Study looks at benefits of music education through a ‘Positive Youth Development’ lens
A study published by the University of Southern California (USC) explored the impact of music education programmes on middle school students (teens), including a programme of extra-curricular online popular music education. The study examined the impact of music on the five key areas of Positive Youth Development (PYD).
Advocacy – music in schools latest news & campaigns
[LATEST UPDATE: 1/5/2024] This post featuring the latest news and reports on music education and music education advocacy will be updated each time we add news and campaigns about music in schools. Please comment below if there’s anything you think we need to add.
Playing an instrument could improve long-term cognitive ability [Scotland, 366 adults]
A study of older adults who’d taken part in cognitive ability assessments, indicates that people with more experience of playing a musical instrument were likely to show greater gains in cognitive ability.
Long-term vocal and piano training improves brain connectivity (Taiwan study)
A study published in Human Brain Mapping suggests that long-term vocal and piano training can improve white matter plasticity in emotion and language networks, and strengthen connections among emotion-related regions of the brain. Vocal training in particular reshaped the vocal motor control, sensory feedback, and language processing networks.
The benefits of music education for child development in a post-Covid world [Australia]
A new publication by the University of Adelaide highlights the benefits of music education for child development and well-being, particularly following the impact of the pandemic.
Find out about the benefits of drumming
The Data Drummer website has a research section that, summarises the wellbeing benefits of drumming: from improving general cognitive health, to helping control impulsive behaviour to reducing the symptoms of trauma.
Musical rhythms help children with speech and language difficulties [France, 33 students]
A new study led by a Western Sydney University researcher has found that musical rhythms can help children with speech and language processing difficulties.