Musical training may aid language processing

BBC : A link has been established between music, rhythmic ability, and language skills. In an article published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, Nina Kraus and Adam Tierney of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, describe their study of 124 Chicago high school students. The students were asked to tap their finger along to a metronome and their accuracy was computed, then their brain waves were recorded using electroencephalography as they listened to a repeated spoken syllable. What the researchers found was that the teens’ ability to keep the beat was directly related to their brain waves’ response to the speech syllable. “It may be that musical training—with its emphasis on rhythmic skills—can exercise the auditory system,” said Kraus. Previous studies have also linked rhythm and reading ability. It may be that musical training can help students improve many skills, such as speech.