How does 1. - musical training shape 2. the brain?
Scientists have observed 3. the activity of living brains, and 4. the results are clear: musicians are different. For instance, in 5. - one study, people who played 6. - musical instruments as children showed more responses to sound than non-musicians. Other studies have reported that kids who received 7. - musical training developed special responses to 8. - music and speech. And it's not just 9. a matter of differences in brain activity. There are also differences in 10. - brain volume. If you examine 11. the brain of 12. a keyboard player, you'll find that 13. the region of 14. the brain that controls finger movements is enlarged. Moreover, brain scans of 9- to 11-year-old children have revealed that 15. - kids who play musical instruments have significantly more grey matter volume. In fact, 16. - musicians have significantly more grey matter in several brain regions, and 17. the effects of 18. - music lessons seem to increase with 19. the intensity of training. So saying "he's just listening to 20. - music" isn't really true, is it?