Neuroplasticity and the Violin

Neuroplasticity and the Violin

We all want our kids to succeed and be good students. Learning to play an instrument, especially the violin is a great way to help them learn skills that will help them in school, and later in life as adults. Learning to play the violin has an impact on kids’ brains and boosts their memory.

Hi, I'm Melodie with the Violin Practice Partner, and I've been teaching violin for 25 years. It's my mission to help light the world through music by helping children learn to play the violin, while also gaining confidence, learning important life skills, and improving their academic achievement.

Learning the violin isn’t just an activity to keep your kid busy. Studies have shown that learning to play the violin as a child changes the brain’s capacity for memory. This will help your child as they grow and learn, many young people who have had musical training seem to also have better reading skills, language processing, and attention span.

#1 – Neuroplasticity? What’s that?

Neuroplasticity is a big term that refers to the ability of our brains to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experiences. Synaptic connections are small pockets of space between two cells in our brain where messages are passed. Activity or lack of activity can strengthen or weaken those synapses and even change the number and structure of them in our brains. Scientists believe the more the synapses are used, the stronger they become, and it improves our memory and ability to learn.

#2 – How does learning the violin benefit your child’s brain?

Researchers have found that learning to play the violin or other musical instruments can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills. This can positively affect a child’s reading, speech, and a variety of brain functions that will help them excel at school or possibly help a struggling student.

Playing an instrument will help them use both sides of their brain, and it can strengthen their memory power.

#3 – Your brain adapts as it learns.

We can all remember what it’s like to struggle to play a piece of music when we are still trying to figure out where our fingers need to be to make the sound we want.

With plenty of practice, our brains learn and muscle memory takes over. At this point, the brain can spend less time focusing on where the hands/fingers need to be and start to focus on how the music they are playing actually sounds.  This is just another example of the neuroplasticity in our brains, and how they are always changing if we keep learning.

Thank you so much for seeking your child’s best interest! If this information was helpful to you, please share it with your friends.