The article by Kraus, Hornickel, Strait, Slater, and Thompson (2014) examines the processes of the brain of children from a disadvantaged background who are involved in permanent musical training. According to the authors, their intervention is aimed at stimulating the development of speech and reading skills (Kraus et al., 2014). Working with children from disadvantaged families is an essential aspect of the activity since their health and well-being are improved by training cognitive functions. As the researchers argue, the participants of their study “hear less complex language and fewer words overall during early language development, which contributes to weaker vocabularies when entering school” (Kraus et al., 2014, p. 1403). Therefore, the study of brain activity in this direction helps children to socialize better and adapt to the educational environment.
The work performed proves the importance of music and art in general because by making a proportional ratio of the study participants, the authors prove that creative activities have a positive effect on mental development (Kraus et al., 2014). The training of cognitive functions is a continuous process, but in children from disadvantaged families, it can pass more slowly than in their peers from the normal background. Involvement in creative activity makes it possible to control the brain activity of the child, thereby stimulating those areas of thinking that are responsible for speech and writing. Regardless of the motivation of the participants in the study, positive results were obtained, which proves the effectiveness of the work done and the need to introduce this practice in the educational process. Therefore, the importance of research on the role of music and other forms of art in the daily life of children from a disadvantaged background has not only theoretical premises but also practically proven grounds.
Reference
Kraus, N., Hornickel, J., Strait, D. L., Slater, J., & Thompson, E. (2014). Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1403-1411. Web.