There is a widely held view that learning to play a musical instrument is a valuable experience for all children in terms of their personal growth and development. Although there is no statutory obligation for instrumental music provision in Scottish primary schools, there are well-established Instrumental Music Services in Local Education…

Studies whether young children make consistent gender associations with instrumental timbres when not linked to individual instruments. Finds that the children sampled made consistent masculine/feminine associations for tones presented with some gender-based differences in particular responses. Notes possible interactions between timbre and…

Examines the effects of 3 years of piano instruction on children's cognitive abilities. Finds that children's general cognitive and spatial abilities improved significantly, but those improvements were only temporary. Believes that the positive effects on the children's cognitive abilities were dependent upon their dedication to learning the…