Music Training and the Brain: Suzuki Method's Impact on Language Skills

New research highlights how music training, particularly the Suzuki method, can shape language skills by applying natural first language acquisition through sound to learning instruments. A study led by Professor Kuniyoshi L. Sakai from the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with the Talent Education Research Institute, explored the effects of musical experience on brain activity. The research compared individuals trained through listening to music versus those trained by reading sheet music. The study involved 23 Suzuki method students and 15 adults trained with other methods, all possessing intermediate piano skills. Participants underwent MRI scans while performing musical judgment tasks to assess the impact of both short-term and long-term musical experience on brain activity. The findings indicated that listening-based training activates the left brain's language field in individuals with experience in multiple instruments. In contrast, sheet music training engages the right brain's frontal and temporal lobes, regardless of multi-instrumental experience. These results suggest that language and auditory areas share a common foundation for both music and language. The Suzuki method, developed by Shin'ichi Suzuki (1898-1998), applies the natural language acquisition process to musical instrument learning, and is practiced in 74 countries. This research underscores the importance of auditory-based learning in musical training, suggesting that listening to native speakers may be more effective than reading texts in language learning.