New Studies Link Early Childhood Language Development and Musical Understanding

When young children begin to converse, the coos and burbles that come out of their mouths usually sound more musical than everyday speech. Melodious baby babble may matter more than we understood: recent research suggests that language growth is closely linked to musical ability in the brain (Schmid, 2010).

This connection between the mind's constructing of speech and song is significant for children with verbal delays. According to Gottfried Schlaug, Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, 'Music making is a multi-sensory experience, activating links to several parts of the brain.' Schlaug's research suggests that children diagnosed with autism and developmental dyslexia may prosper from understanding how to express musically what their minds can't process verbally.

According to Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University, '[musical training] improves abilities important in daily life. Playing an instrument may help youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice.'

The connection between musical understanding and mathematical skills has already been demonstrated. Further, Kraus believes that 'years of music training may also improve how sounds are processed for language and emotion.'

So the next time your toddler's drum-banging wears on your nerves, just bear in mind- all that music-making is building a better brain and encouraging optimal cognitive and social-emotional development.