The composition of music is very complex it contains tone, rhythm, harmony, melody, and other factors. If the method is applied to music lessons in schools or in the community, it may help improve children's working memory.
#Digit span sequencing portable#
In addition, we used an inexpensive and portable keyboard harmonica therefore, our instructional method is easy to apply in classrooms or other circumstances. The result suggests that several weeks of instrumental music training may be beneficial to improving children's working memory. However, no significant influences were found on the other cognitive tests. After the 6-week training, only the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the Digit Span test (especially in the Digit Span Backward) that measures working memory. Cognitive measurements included verbal ability, processing speed, working memory, and inhibitory control, which were administered before and after the curriculum in both groups. Different from traditional instrumental training, the curriculum did not use musical scores to emphasize creating association between sound (auditory modality) and finger movement (somato-motor system). Forty children (aged 6–8 years) were randomly assigned to either the experimental group ( n = 20), which received a 6-week (12-session) keyboard harmonica curriculum, or an untrained control group ( n = 20). Consequently, the present exploratory pilot study investigated the effect of a six-week instrumental practice program (i.e., playing the keyboard harmonica) on children's cognitive functions using a randomized controlled trial. Moreover, effects of short-term (