The Benefits of Music Education

The Benefits to the Brain: Cognitive Development
Adults who receive formal music instruction as children have more robust brainstem responses to sound than peers
who never participate in music lessons and the magnitude of the response correlates with how recently training
ceased. These results suggest that neural changes accompanying musical training during childhood are retained in
adulthood. (...)
Students in high-quality school music education programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students
in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of [the] community.
Playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brainstern's sensitivity to speech sounds. This relates to
encoding skills involved with music and language. Experience with music at a young age can "fine-tune" the brain's
auditory system. (...)




6) Complete the following sentences with words/expressions from the text.
a) Brain changes accompanying musical training during childhood are preserved in______________.
b) Playing a musical instrument improves dramatically the brainstem's sensitivity to_____________.
c) Experience with music during childhood can "fine-tune" the brain's _______________________.