Several studies have shown an association between music training and improvement in cognitive skills. We examined how instrumental music training influences more general cognitive abilities in a relatively brief period. In this context, many parents let their children learn musical instruments to try and improve their cognitive abilities through musical training ( Schellenberg, 2004). Therefore, wide ranges of brain regions are active when individuals perform music activities ( Levitin, 2006). Playing a musical instrument requires reading musical scores and translating them into motor commands, as well as performing coordinated movements and creating memory of musical phrases. The composition of music is very complex it contains tone, rhythm, harmony, melody, and other factors. If the method is applied to music lessons in schools or in the community, it may help improve children's working memory.
#Hypothesis of a digit span memory test portable#
In addition, we used an inexpensive and portable keyboard harmonica therefore, our instructional method is easy to apply in classrooms or other circumstances. The result suggests that several weeks of instrumental music training may be beneficial to improving children's working memory. However, no significant influences were found on the other cognitive tests. After the 6-week training, only the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the Digit Span test (especially in the Digit Span Backward) that measures working memory. Cognitive measurements included verbal ability, processing speed, working memory, and inhibitory control, which were administered before and after the curriculum in both groups. Different from traditional instrumental training, the curriculum did not use musical scores to emphasize creating association between sound (auditory modality) and finger movement (somato-motor system). Forty children (aged 6–8 years) were randomly assigned to either the experimental group ( n = 20), which received a 6-week (12-session) keyboard harmonica curriculum, or an untrained control group ( n = 20). Consequently, the present exploratory pilot study investigated the effect of a six-week instrumental practice program (i.e., playing the keyboard harmonica) on children's cognitive functions using a randomized controlled trial. Moreover, effects of short-term (
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