Groundbreaking Research from Northwestern University
A Northwestern University study funded by The NAMM Foundation found that two years of music training measurably improved how children’s brains process speech, a neural function directly linked to language and reading skills.
Conducted in partnership with Harmony Project, a NAMM Foundation grantee that provides free music instruction to children in underserved Los Angeles communities, the study was among the first to document biological brain changes resulting from participation in a community music program.
How Music Training Changes the Brain
Led by neurobiologist Nina Kraus, the research found that sustained music training, not short-term exposure, is what drives meaningful change. The findings offer biological evidence that music education can help close the achievement gap between children from low-income households and their more advantaged peers.
“This research demonstrates that community music programs can literally ‘remodel’ children’s brains in a way that improves sound processing, which could lead to better learning and language skills.”
About the Northwestern University Study
“Music Enrichment Programs Improve the Neural Encoding of Speech in At-Risk Children,” published in The Journal of Neuroscience, is one of the few studies to evaluate biological changes following participation in an established community music education program.
Nina Kraus of Northwestern University co-authored the study with Jessica Slater, Elaine C. Thompson, Dana L. Strait, Jane Hornickel, Trent Nicol and Travis White-Schwoch.
Learn more about the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory’s research on music, learning and brain plasticity.
The Grammy Foundation and Hugh Knowles Center joined The NAMM Foundation in supporting this research.
Music education transforms students and communities. Browse our full music research resources.