Comments on: Musical training as mental exercise for cognitive performance

By: Jacob Polatis

Jacob Polatis — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:09:03 +0000

I do have to agree with this topic.I have been playing instruments since I was four and people say that I am smarter because of my playing of the clarinet,trumpet,and violin

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:37:43 +0000

I whole heartedly agree, I’ve been in music lessons since I was 6 or 7 and have played a few different instruments. But what I’ve learned by playing them have had a big effect on my choice to try and become a music teacher.

A very good article, I liked it a lot.

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:27:13 +0000

I may not be able to send my students to a music school but we also listen and learn to appreciate different genres of music in my class. I believe that music connects information to our brain in some way.

By: Alvaro

Alvaro — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:53:17 +0000

Lisa: personal interest/ motivation is critical. If a person (kid, adult) resists doing something, that can be counterproductive. The key is to ensure constant challenge and growth. The art, for parents and teachers, is to nurture that interest…but, in the end, it is the kid’s brain, not ours, who does the work and must be engaged.

Daniel and Helene: thank you for your comments. Helene, feel free to share with us the experiences of that lifelong learner and Ph. D. in psych!

By: Helene Zemel

Helene Zemel — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:51:41 +0000

As a piano teacher, I appreciate this article. The fact that music study has a postivie effect on cognitive ability has prompted some of my 50+ students to get started as an Alzheimer’s preventative including one adult who is a Ph.D. psychologist. Although he is a music lover, he cited the studies as one of the reasons that he got started.

By: Daniel E. Friedman

Daniel E. Friedman — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:14:51 +0000

The ‘Suzuki’ test results are not really surprising. Imitation does have a positive effect on memory.

Interesting post.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:50:11 +0000

I would be interested to know what the effect of personal interest is. That is, what if a child does not want to learn a musical instrument, but prefers sports instead, or some other pursuit. Are we doing things just to improve the function of the brain? And if so, does it really improve our brain if we actually don’t find things like playing a musical instrument interesting or fun? I personally play a few different musical instruments and enjoy it. Just curious how a person’s interest and desire plays into this type of research.