In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One , researchers at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, investigated the association between formal music instruction during childhood and the subsequent development of socioemotional, rhythmic, and pitch-matching skills. They conducted a longitudinal case-control cohort study comparing 83 children enrolled in either music-, sports-, or no-after-school instruction programs. Results revealed that participants in music instruction programs outperformed their control-cohort peers in pitch-matching ability.
These 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. Study: Long-term music instruction is partially associated with the development of socioemotional skills . Image Credit: Photo joy / Shutterstock Background Formal music instruction is the systematic education of instrumental technique and music theory.
Previous research has suggested its positive benefits in improving students' pitch-matching (the ability to mimic the pitch of an external audio cue) and rhythmic entrainment (the ability to synchronize internal rhythms with externally perceived ones) aptitudes. Kuther (2022) postulated that music instruction may promote social and emotional functioning. Studies also elucidate the social roles of pitch-matching and rhythmic entrainment in establishing social bonds, effective c.