Today’s blog looks into the intriguing relationship between music lessons and intelligence. Are musically trained people smarter? Generally speaking, it looks like we might be (cue a happy dance to Joplin’s ‘The Entertainer’) but there is much, much more to unravel here.

A detailed study from 2011 by E. Glenn Schellenberg from the University of Toronto zeroed in on three main questions.

1. Does music training help with all types of brain skills or just certain ones like verbal abilities, spatial abilities, and mathematical abilities?
   
2. It’s like the classic chicken or egg dilemma: Does being smart lead kids to take music lessons, or do music lessons make kids smarter?
   
3. Is the relationship between music training and improved intelligence a straightforward one, or is it influenced by other factors? These could be other skills or abilities that are enhanced by music training, which in turn, boost intelligence.

To answer these tricky questions, 106 participants were studied. These participants were 9-12 years old (54 boys, 52 girls) recruited from a middle to upper-middle class suburb of Toronto. Fifty of them were musically trained, having had at least 2 years of music lessons taken outside of school. The other have were not trained. They assessed IQ and cognitive ability using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and tests like Digit Span, phonological fluency, and Tower of Hanoi, providing insight into the impact of music training on executive functions.

Here’s what they found out for each question:

1. Does music training help with all types of brain skills or just certain ones like verbal abilities, spatial abilities, and mathematical abilities?

Musically trained children generally outperformed untrained children in IQ scores and tests of cognitive function. This indicates a positive correlation between music training and cognitive abilities. However, despite the significant difference in IQ between musically trained and untrained children, music training did not seem to extend to improvements in any executive function tests – so no difference in verbal or mathematical abilities – except the test for working memory (Digit Span).

2. Does being smart lead kids to take music lessons, or do music lessons make kids smarter?

The answer to this question remains unclear. While some evidence hints at music training potentially boosting IQ, it’s also possible that children with higher IQs are naturally drawn to music lessons. Children with higher IQs may have cognitive abilities like enhanced auditory processing skills or better memory retention, which might make them more inclined and interested to pursue music lessons. On the other hand, engaging in music training may also contribute to the development and enhancement of cognitive abilities, by involving many activities that stimulate various cognitive functions like problem-solving. This relationship likely works in a bidirectional way.

3. Is the relationship between music training and improved intelligence a straightforward one, or is it influenced by other factors?

It is very likely influenced by other factors. The study highlights the role of genetic factors in shaping both musical skill and cognitive abilities. This suggests that genetic predispositions may contribute to the observed association between music education and intelligence. The influence of genetics adds a layer of complexity to the relationship, suggesting that individual differences in cognitive development may interact with music training in very intricate ways.

In conclusion, the study by E. Glenn Schellenberg provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between music training and intelligence. I still have some questions to research into further: where do we draw the line between IQ and executive function – in what ways are they similar and different? Where do we draw the line between cognitive and executive function? How do genetic predispositions interact with music training to shape cognitive development? Do the benefits of music training in childhood extend into intelligence in adulthood?

Thanks for reading!

Source: Schellenberg EG. Examining the association between music lessons and intelligence. Br J Psychol. 2011 Aug;102(3):283-302. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.2010.02000.x. Epub 2011 Feb 1. PMID: 21751987.