Piano training enhances the neural processing of pitch and improves speech perception

Piano training enhances the neural processing of pitch and improves speech perception in Mandarin-speaking children.Yun Nan, Li Liu, Eveline Geiser, Hua Shu, Chen Chen Gong, Qi Dong, John D. E. Gabrieli, Robert Desimone Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jul 2018, 115 (28) E6630-E6639; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808412115

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The researchers assigned 74 kinder-garten children aged 4–5 y to piano or reading training for 6 mo orto a no-contact control group. "The three groups were matched regarding general cognitive measures (including IQ, working memory, and attention) and socioeconomic status at the beginningof the study. We measured the effects of musical training on the processing of pitch as indexed by the positive mismatch responses(pMMRs) as well as on general cognitive measures and language abilities. Pitch is a common sound element of both speech and music. In Mandarin, pitch is also used as the lexical tone, which is a salient speech component and is acquired early in life".

They concluded that"the piano group showed im-proved auditory word discrimination based on consonants andvowels after training. The reading training may have facilitated word discrimination based on vowels to a similar extent as piano training, but only piano training showed a unique effect in boosting word discrimination based on consonants".