Musical Training Improves Memory?

New data indicates that musical training pays off later in life.  In comparison to their non-musical coevals, musicians aged 45-65 exhibit excellent auditory memory and greater ability to discern speech in noise, according to a Northwestern University study.  Eighteen musicians and 19 non-musicians were tested for speech in noise, auditory working memory, visual working memory, and auditory temporal processing.  The musicians, each of who had received musical training since age 9, outperformed the non-musicians on all tests except visual working memory (in which the groups' performances were equal).

The results suggest that practice in distinguishing complex structures of sound helps the brain fend off age-related changes in auditory function.


Published in ASHA Leader Magazine, July 2011