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A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and published in the journal PLOS One, sheds light on the potential benefits of formal music instruction on children’s socioemotional development. This longitudinal case-control cohort study investigated the influence of music education on children’s socioemotional, rhythmic, and pitch-matching skills by comparing 83 children enrolled in music, sports, or no after-school instruction programs.
Study Background and Objectives
Formal music instruction involves systematic education in instrumental technique and music theory. Previous research has suggested its positive effects on improving students’ pitch-matching (the ability to replicate the pitch of an external audio cue) and rhythmic entrainment (the ability to synchronize internal rhythms with external ones). Kuther (2022) theorized that music instruction might enhance social and emotional functioning, as pitch-matching and rhythmic entrainment play crucial roles in establishing social bonds, effective communication, collective identity development, and cooperation.
Despite these findings, many studies focus on one-on-one music tutoring rather than group-based music education programs that are common in after-school activities. This study aimed to address these gaps by exploring the following questions:
- Do children exposed to after-school training programs differ in their pitch-matching ability, socioemotional aptitude, and rhythmic entrainment capacity compared to those who are not?
- What is the association between pitch-matching and rhythmic entrainment and socioemotional outcomes?
Study Design and Methods
The study followed a cohort of children aged five to eight years (mean age = 6.81) from the greater Los Angeles area over seven years. Participants were divided into three cohorts: music (Youth Orchestra; n = 26), sports (soccer or swimming; n = 28), and control (no after-school activity; n = 29).
Researchers used various instruments to evaluate pitch-matching, rhythmic entrainment, sharing behavior, and empathy. Pitch-matching was assessed using a singing task where children mimicked the pitch of melodies sung by trained experimenters. Rhythmic entrainment was evaluated in both ‘alone’ and ‘social’ scenarios, where participants drummed to prerecorded rhythms, sometimes alongside a trained investigator. Sharing behavior was assessed through a modified dictator game involving stickers, and empathy was measured using the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test).
Statistical differences between cohorts were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and linear mixed effects models.
Key Findings
The study revealed significant differences in pitch-matching abilities, with children in the music group outperforming their peers in the sports and control groups. Although rhythmic scores did not initially differ between cohorts, all groups showed annual improvements, with the music group displaying the most significant progress.
In terms of socioemotional skills, the sports group was the most likely to share, followed by the music group, with the control group performing the poorest. However, all groups demonstrated yearly improvements in these skills. Empathy test results were initially mixed, but the Eyes Test showed significant improvements over the years, especially in the music group.
Conclusions
The study’s findings suggest that long-term formal music education programs can positively influence certain aspects of children’s socioemotional development, though the overall impact is limited. While pitch-matching did not improve significantly over time, likely due to the complexity of the singing task, empathy and rhythmic entrainment showed notable enhancements.
These results highlight the benefits of formal music training in children’s socioemotional development, with the extent of benefits varying based on the similarity of the domain to music. The study underscores the potential of music education to foster socioemotional skills, supporting the broader inclusion of music programs in children’s education.
Journal Reference
Villanueva, J., Ilari, B., & Habibi, A. (2024). Long-term music instruction is partially associated with the development of socioemotional skills. In L. Morett (Ed.), PLOS ONE (Vol. 19, Issue 7, p. e0307373). Public Library of Science (PLOS). DOI – 10.1371/journal.pone.0307373, PLOS ONE.
