Music can improve social communication skills in autism

In 2018 researchers from the University of Montreal and McGill University in Montreal, Canada, published a report showing that music intervention alters brain activation and improves social communication skills in children with autism.

Rhythm, dyslexia and reading training

Researchers in Italy find that students diagnosed with Developmental Dyslexia (DD) scored high in rhythmic abilities, as measured by rhythmic pattern discrimination tests.

Dyslexia can be overcome with nursery rhymes and music

Professor Usha Goswami, Director of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education at the University of Cambridge, says that children can overcome dyslexia by learning nursery rhymes, dancing and singing.

Mapping the musical mind: the link between musical and language processing

Researchers in Japan have found a specific link between musical processing and areas of the brain associated with language processing for the first time.

EIGHT WAYS THAT MUSIC CAN SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE’S WELLBEING AND LEARNING: IN ‘CATCH UP’ AND BEYOND

Anita Holford, co-editor of Music Education Works, looks at eight ways music can support young people’s wellbeing and learning.

Pre-school children who can keep a beat are more likely to be better readers and talkers

This research on why beat synchronisation and language processing and reading skills are connected can only strengthen music education teaching and advocacy.

Music lessons enhance executive functions in 6- to 7-year-old children

Researchers in Germany have found that instrumental music lessons have an impact on specific executive functions in children.

Can a rhythmic intervention support reading development in poor readers?

Professor Susan Hallam’s research found that regular beat-based music making sessions can improve the reading skills of 11-12 year-olds.

Musical training can help us maintain brain health as we age

A study by staff at the University of Illinois, Northwestern University and the University of Texas, raises the possibility that musical training may help offset age-related declines in brain volume in older adults.

Formal string instrument training enhances the cognitive development of primary school children

Researchers from the University of Geneva and Université de Lausanne in Switzerland have found that formal, intensive, musical instrument training in a group setting in primary schools can enhance their cognitive development.

LATEST RESEARCH FROM ENGLAND LINKING MUSIC QUALIFICATIONS WITH HIGHER ATTAINMENT

Image from Pixabay, reproduced under Creative Commons CC0. Taking a music qualification in school is linked with higher academic achievement, according to Cambridge Assessment research.

LATEST RESEARCH FROM THE UK (England) linking music qualifications with higher ATTAINMENT

Taking a music qualification in school is linked with higher academic achievement, according to Cambridge Assessment research.