WE DO OUR RESEARCH

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

We know from experience that long-term engagement with music is good for kids. We’re also interested in the science explaining the cognitive benefits of music, which is why we’ve teamed up with researchers at Northwestern University to uncover how Harmony Project changes a child’s brain.


The team from Northwestern found that kids who studied music at Harmony Project become better listeners - which can help improve their reading skills as well as their ability to focus in a noisy classroom. According to lead researcher Nina Kraus, music may play a crucial role in closing the academic achievement gap between affluent and low-income children.

Cello

GUIDING RESEARCH

The following studies have been used to inform the creation, development, implementation, and evaluation of Harmony Project programs:

Fingers playing piano

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

Harmony Project has partnered with research institutes to produce the following results:

  • Kraus, N. & Strait, D.L. (2015). Emergence of biological markers of musicianship with school-based music instruction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337, 163-169.

  • Slater, J., Skoe, E., Strait, D., O'Connell, S., Thompson, E., & Kraus, N. (2015). Music training improves speech-in-noise perception: Longitudinal evidence from a community-based music program. Behavioural Brain Research, 291, 244-252.

  • 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, Cognitive Science, 5, 1403.
    doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01403

  • Kraus, N. & Anderson, S. (2014). Community-based training shows objective evidence of efficacy. Hearing Journal, 67(11), 46-47.

  • Kraus, N., Slater, J., Thompson, E., Hornickel, J., Strait, D.L., Nicol, T., & White-Schwoch, T. (2014). Auditory learning through active engagement with sound: Biological impact of community music lessons in at-risk children. Frontiers in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience, 8, 351.
    doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00351

  • Slater, J., Strait, D.L., Skoe, E., O’Connell, S., Thompson, E., & Kraus, N. (2014). Longitudinal effects of group music instruction on literacy skills in low-income children. PlosOne, 9(11).
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113383

  • Kraus, N., Slater, J., Thompson, E., Hornickel, J., Strait, D., Nicol, T., & White-Schwoch, T. (2014). Music enrichment programs improve the neural encoding of speech in at-risk children. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(36), 11913-11918

  • Skoe, E., Krizman, J., & Kraus, N. (2013). The impoverished brain: Disparities in maternal education affect the neural response to sound. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(44),17221–17231.

  • Slater, J., Tierney, A., & Kraus, N. (2013). At-risk elementary school children with one year of classroom music instruction are better at keeping a beat. PlosOne, 8(10), e77250.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077250