不爭的事實──孩童發展與音樂教育

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研究證實早期的鋼琴訓練對孩子的未來有深遠影響

音樂教育與孩童未來成功發展的關係密不可切，自律、耐心、敏銳度、協調、記憶及專著力，上述這些都能透過音樂教育強化。無論未來孩子選擇什麼領域發展，這些技能都將跟隨他們直到永遠。如果您正在尋找讓孩子成長過程充滿喜悅、滿足的方法，音樂教育會是完美的第一步。

鋼琴將是最好的第一選擇，沒有其他樂器可以如鋼琴般廣泛運用音樂概念，即使你的孩子之後選擇其他樂器，鋼琴教育所涉及的旋律、韻律、和諧感訓練都將成為日後的資產。

1997年2月的研究報告顯示，學齡前兒童接受音樂教育──尤其是鋼琴教育，可讓他們的腦部發展更迅速，加強抽象推理能力。

美國威斯康辛大學Frances Rauscher博士及加州大學Gordon Shaw博士將鋼琴(鍵盤)與歌唱課程合併，以增強學齡前兒童的空間能力，這項新的研究顯示，早期的鋼琴訓練，能直接影響發展大腦的神經迴路，確實改善智力發展。

其他研究：
■德國Konstanz大學的研究發現，音樂能刺激大腦的神經迴路。

■ Beth Israel醫院的科學家表示，腦中有「完美音準」(即區別每個音符的能力)的音樂家，他們的左腦結構較為發達，這些音樂家表示他們早在7歲前就暴露在音樂環境下。多數大師級的演奏者都早在10歲前就開始演奏。

■ 研究顯示，暴露在音樂環境下能激發並強化語言及推理能力。

■每個孩子都有與生俱來的音樂能力，例如，2個月大的嬰兒能對上音樂的拍子、強弱及旋律，4個月大後就能對上節奏。如果年紀大的孩子沒有積極訓練他們的音樂才能，那麼才能就會消失。原因是大約在11歲後，神經通路開放各種感知的知覺能力，而感覺節奏、拍子的知覺能力將被相對削弱。

It's All in Black & White
New Research Proves the Value of Childhood Music Education

Piano Training In Early Childhood Has Lasting Rewards
There is an undeniably strong correlation between music education and the development of skills that children need to become successful in life. Self-discipline, patience, sensitivity, coordination, and the ability to memorize and concentrate are all enhanced in the study of music. These skills will follow your child on whatever path he or she chooses in life. You have the chance now to introduce a formative influence that may be second only to the love you give your child. If you’re looking for a way to provide your child with a source of life-long joy, satisfaction, and accomplishment, childhood music education is an excellent first step.

And the piano is an excellent first instrument. No other single instrument matches the piano for its broad application of musical concepts. Even if later your child chooses to play another instrument, the melody, rhythm and sense of harmony acquired with piano education will pay off handsomely.

Better Sooner Than Later
New evidence exists that there are actual physiological benefits to early childhood music education. A study released in February, 1997 presents findings that music education — specifically, piano instruction in pre-schoolers produces changes in the brain which enhance children’s abstract reasoning skills. These skills are necessary for learning mathematics and science, to play chess, and to master many concepts of engineering.

Dr. Frances Rauscher of the University of Wisconsin and Dr. Gordon Shaw of the University of California had previously linked piano/keyboard and singing lessons to enhanced spacial-temporal ability in pre-schoolers. The new study documents that early piano training also has a direct effect on the development of the brain’s neural circuitry, actually improving intellectual development. In other words, this research points out that early piano training helps to create and maintain certain “connections” in children’s brains that may not otherwise form.

It has long been known that musically educated children develop skills they carry into adulthood Now it appears that piano training can actually make children more intelligent. Can you think of any more precious gift to give the children in your life?

Here’s how the study was conducted
Thirty four children received private piano keyboard instruction, 20 children were given private computer lessons, and 24 children provided other controls. Four standard, age-calibrated spatial reasoning tests were given before and after training. One tested spatial temporal reasoning; three tested spatial recognition. Significant improvement on the spatial temporal test was found for the keyboard group only. None of the groups improved significantly on the spatial recognition tests. This led the researchers to conclude that music training produces long-term modifications in underlying neural circuitry in regions of the brain not primarily concerned with music. The magnitude of the improvement suggests that learning of standard curricula is also enhanced.

Other important developmental benefits to childhood music education

• Researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany found that exposure to music rewires neural circuits. For instance, they used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brains of nine string players. They found that the amount of somato-sensory cortex dedicated to the fingering hand was far larger than in non-players. Additionally, the earlier the player took up the instrument, the more cortex was devoted to playing it.
  
• Most concert-level performers begin playing earlier than ten years of age.
  
• Scientists at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston found that the brains of 30 musicians with perfect pitch — the ability to identify isolated musical notes they hear — had greatly enlarged structures on the left side of their brains. All the musicians with perfect pitch said they were exposed to music prior to age seven. The likelihood of developing perfect pitch is extremely low if exposure comes after age ten.
  
• Another German study, at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, reported that exposure to music activates and enhances cognitive processes involved in language and reasoning.
  
• Other studies show that all children are born with musical ability. For example, two month old infants can match the pitch, intensity, and melodies for songs their mothers sing, and at four months infants can match rhythm as well. But the older children get without exercising their musical aptitude, the more will be lost and never regained. The reason is neurological — by approximately age 11, the neuron circuits that permit all kinds of perceptual and sensory discrimination, such as identifying pitch and rhythm, become closed off.
  
• Finally, students with coursework and experience in musical performance scored 51 points higher on the verbal portion of the SAT and 39 points higher on the SAT math portion than students with no coursework or experience with music — from data compiled by the Music Educators National Conference from The College Board.

One gift that really does keep giving
As your child’s musical education continues and extends to playing in groups, in recitals, or in competitions, one reward is the special camaraderie that often blooms between young musicians. This can often lead to friendships that last for years to come. The piano can also be a source of stability in the turbulent teenage years. And as an adult, the poise and self-assurance developed by playing and performing at the piano has very tangible value in social and business worlds. There is also the chance that your child has an exceptional musical talent, in which case a whole world of possibilities — both personal and professional — can be recognized and nurtured.

With such clear evidence of the benefits of childhood piano education, the choice as to which piano to purchase still remains. It is highly advisable to buy the best piano you can afford. It stands to reason that the higher the quality of the piano, the better it will sound. And that’s certainly encouragement to get your budding young pianist to play, play more often, and play longer!