Phoenix, U.S.A. — According to an article published by The Los Angeles Times, young adults may continue receiving the benefits of music lessons long after their days of consistent practice are over.

The latest research indicates that young adults who had taken as little as two to three years of instrumental music training during their elementary or middle school years showed a more robust brain reaction to sounds than their counterparts who had received no training. These reactions lasted up to seven years after the child’s last lesson. Jason Simpson of Arizona believes that this reinforces the importance of music education for children and young adults.

While the study suggests that starting lessons at an earlier age and quitting later in life help the training’s positive effects, even a little bit of music education can go a long way in terms of boosting brain activity.

The article also references prior research that suggests that the brain signals seen in those who have received music lessons are often linked to heightened auditory perception, better auditory-based communication skills, and improved executive function.

Executive function deals with crucial skills like attention, organization, short-term memory, and logical reasoning. This shows that music lessons could give kids an academic edge over non-musicians, even after a significant amount of time has passed since the child actually picked up his or her instrument.

The new research also shows that students who studied an instrument for eight years received as much benefit as those who only studied for three years. The lessons’ impact was the same both in strength and endurance. This means that you don’t need to spend your entire life studying an instrument to receive the benefits of music training.

Jason Simpson of Arizona is a musician who spent extensive amounts of time teaching young students to play guitar. Simpson believes strongly in the importance of music education in children and young adults.Says Jason Simpson of Arizona, “This study just reinforces how important music is for kids. Even if your child doesn’t become the next Bob Dylan, music helps stimulate him or her intellectually. Learning a new skill boosts kid’s confidence, and this study shows that it helps on a mental and intellectual level too.It’s an all-around good thing for young people.”

Simpson goes on to say that he hopes the study encourages more parents to enroll their kids in music lessons after reading about the benefits of doing so.

About

Jason Simpson of Arizona is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and teacher. He is currently the lead vocalist for the band Satisfaction Guaranteed, which began as a high school class project. When he’s not writing new music, he’s playing shows and touring around the West Coast with the group. Jason spent many days over the course of his high school and college career offering music lessons to aspiring guitar players.

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