Music and Hearing A recent study by researcher Nina Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability. As a part of the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were able hear the talking person more clearly. Musicians hear better, says Kraus, because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists in an orchestra. When violinists play with the instrument and many others. too. But the violinists they are playing, and ignore the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to concentrate on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise Music and Speaking Gottfried Schlaug, doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke: patients. Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. can still sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find that singing helped his patients to eventually speak. Why does this work? Schlaug isn't sure. Music seems to activate? different parts of the brain, including the damaged parts. This somehow helps patients to use that part of the brain again. Understanding the Results Music improves concentration, memory, listening skills, and our overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better. Playing an instrument or singing, says Nina Kraus, can help us do better in school keep our brain sharp as we get older. Music, she adds, is not only enjoyable, it's also good for us in many other ways. stroke of the brain. It can a unable to move one of his or her A damages (hurts) the parts of the brain used for language body. A stroke sometimes To activate something is to make it work.