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Cited by 200Diverse Music Education InsightsNeuroscience and Music PerceptionCognitive Abilities and Testing

When the music's over. Does music skill transfer to children's and young adolescents' cognitive and academic skills? A meta-analysis

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Sala, Giovanni, Gobet, Fernand·2017·Educational Research Review
DOI 10.1016/j.edurev.2016.11.005
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Abstract

Music training has been recently claimed to enhance children and young adolescents' cognitive and academic skills. However, substantive research on transfer of skills suggests that far-transfer - i.e., the transfer of skills between two areas only loosely related to each other - occurs rarely. In this meta-analysis, we examined the available experimental evidence regarding the impact of music training on children and young adolescents' cognitive and academic skills. The results of the random-effects models showed (a) a small overall effect size (d¯=0.16); (b) slightly greater effect sizes with regard to intelligence (d¯=0.35) and memory-related outcomes (d¯=0.34); and (c) an inverse relation between the size of the effects and the methodological quality of the study design. These results suggest that music training does not reliably enhance children and young adolescents' cognitive or academic skills, and that previous positive findings were probably due to confounding variables.

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  • The only comprehensive meta-analytic review performed so far about the benefits of music training is that by Sala and Gobet (2017b).

    “The only comprehensive meta-analytic review performed so far about the benefits of music training is that by Sala and Gobet (2017b).”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sala and Gobet (2017b)

    Section 1.4 identifies Sala and Gobet’s paper as a meta-analysis of music training’s cognitive and academic benefits for children and young adolescents. Section 1.3 also cites earlier meta-analyses of particular academic outcomes. Our copy does not establish that this was the only comprehensive review performed so far, or support extending its scope to all benefits of music training. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • A non-negligible amount of unexplained true heterogeneity makes overall effect sizes hard to interpret because the sources of between-study variability remain hidden.

    “In addition, the presence of a non-negligible amount of unexplained true heterogeneity (as in both Sala & Gobet, 2017b, and Cooper, 2019) makes the overall effect sizes hard to interpret because the sources of between-study variability remain hidden.”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sala & Gobet, 2017b

    The Results section (page not provided) reports moderate between-effect-size heterogeneity (I² = 46.94), supporting the claim that variability was non-negligible. But §3.1 identifies significant moderators and reports that the model explained some variability (R² = 0.65). The paper does not say that hidden sources of variability made the overall effect size hard to interpret. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The current meta-analysis has much higher power than the 2017 meta-analysis because the number of participants and effect sizes are more than double.

    “Since the number of participants and effect sizes are more than double, the current meta-analysis has a much higher power than the 2017 meta-analysis.”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sala & Gobet, 2017b

  • Compared with Sala and Gobet (2017b), the number of both effect sizes and participants was more than doubled.

    “Thus, compared to the previous most comprehensive meta-analysis in the field (i.e., Sala & Gobet, 2017b), the number of both effect sizes and participants was more than doubled.”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sala & Gobet, 2017b

  • Sala and Gobet's (2017b) meta-analysis includes 38 studies, 118 effect sizes, and 3,085 participants and found an overall effect of d = 0.16.

    “This meta-analysis – which includes 38 studies, 118 effect sizes, and 3,085 participants – found an overall effect of d¯= 0.16.”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Sala and Gobet (2017b)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Sala, G., & Gobet, F.
Affiliations
University of Liverpool (GB)
Corresponding author
Sala, Giovanni
ORCID
Venue
Educational Research Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-02
Volume
20
Pages
55-67
ISSN
1747-938X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.edurev.2016.11.005
OpenAlex
W2557902812
Cited by
200
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 1
FWCI
75.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Educational Research Review (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
musical training, skill transfer, far transfer, cognitive skills, academic performance, intelligence, memory, children, early adolescents, methodological quality, confounding variables

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