Years of research shows that musical training is one of the ways that can help you keep your mind sharp. What’s more, it will also help you make better connections between the bits of information you gather. Here are some ways in which learning music from a young age improves your memory.
Musical Training Improves Verbal Memory
A 2011 study of children’s ability to recognize words showed it as closely linked to musical training. The researchers first tested the kids’ auditory memory and then their comprehension of written text. The kids who did better on the first test also had higher scores on the second.
This is because both music and reading provoke a similar neural response. In fact, the results show that better auditory memory could increase children’s reading ability by 40 percent.
Musical Training Boosts Your Brain
One study showed that half an hour of musical training stimulates the blood flow on the left side of the brain. What’s more, it does this even if you’re not a professional musician.
The left hemisphere is in charge of many brain functions, including our ability to process language and communicate. As such, musical training may even be beneficial in learning a new language. It is thus another way how learning music from a young age improves your memory.
Musical Training Sharpens Your Senses
Your brain works by integrating the information it receives from all your senses. This helps it adapt to different sensations and provide an appropriate response. Because of this, it’s important to be able to distinguish between different types of sensory input.
According to one study, trained musicians are much better at this than people with no musical education. For example, they can separate audible sensations from tactile ones more easily than others. This is because music doesn’t only tap into your sense of sound. It also involves the sense of touch, as well as self-motion.
In the long run, musical training will help your brain be more in tune with your senses. What’s more, it will become much sharper as a result. This is just further proof that learning music from a young age improves your memory.
