A number of studies have reported positive associations between music experience and increased abilities in non-musical (e.g., linguistic, mathematical, and spatial) domains in children. These transfer effects continue to be probed using a variety of experimental designs. The major aim of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effects of a scaffolded music instruction program on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills of two cohorts of second-grade students. One group ( n = 46) studied piano formally for a period of three consecutive years as part of a comprehensive instructional intervention program. The second group ( n = 57) had no exposure to music lessons, either in school programs or private study. Both groups were assessed on two subtests from the Structure of Intellect (SOI) measure. Results revealed that the experimental group had significantly better vocabulary and verbal sequencing scores at post-test than did the control group. Data from this study will help to clarify the role of music study on cognition and shed light on the question of the potential of music to enhance school performance in language and literacy.

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To examine the comparative nature of laterality patterns for music perception among differentially talented adolescents, 138 right-handed subjects (56 boys, 82 girls) trained in music, mathematics, and dance, respectively, were tested on dichotic chords and dichotic melodies tasks. Analyses demonstrated that only the musically trained subjects displayed task-dependent ear asymmetry, that is, a left-ear advantage for dichotic chords and a right-ear advantage for dichotic melodies. The mathematically and dance-talented students displayed a left-ear bias for both tasks of music perception. A control dichotic speech task showed a right-ear bias for all talent groups. The findings speak to how sensory information is managed by the mental-processing systems of differentially talented students and how talent training plays a role in shaping ear asymmetry.