Independent Research on Music Together^®

The Music Together program is often studied by independent researchers at various educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, as well as by our own research and development teams. Together, we're committed to furthering the understanding of the powerful role of music in child development.

For example, two large studies conducted in preschool populations in Trenton, New Jersey, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, showed that Music Together classes support overall learning.

Highlights of the most recent research include:

Social-Emotional Development & School-Preparedness
The impact of a music enrichment program during infancy and early toddlerhood on effortful control at age 3. A preliminary investigation.
This two-year study consisted of thirty-two parent-child dyads randomly assigned to either a Music Together group or play date control. Effortful control, an executive function skill, was measured using three different tasks: snack delay (resisting the urge to take the snack), latency to peek (resisting the urge to peek at a gift), and latency to touch (resisting the urge to touch a gift). Children who received Music Together for two years exhibited greater ability to resist the snack (greater effortful control) than their peers assigned to the play date condition. There was no significant difference between groups with regard to effortful control skills in the presence of gifts. This study suggests that a music enrichment program such as Music Together that focuses on emotional reactivity in infancy may bolster skills related to emotion regulation such as effortful control.
Associations between musical participation and young children’s prosocial behaviors.
To better understand the relationships between music education and prosociality in early childhood, and to explore the potential role of music as a tool for developing socio-emotional skills in children, researchers studied the effects of music education (in the form of participation in Music Together classes) on helping, sharing, and comforting behaviors in children between the ages of 3 and 4. Instrumental sharing was positively correlated with time spent in the music education program.

Language Development
The impact of a community-based music program during infancy on the quality of parent-child language interactions.
A secondary analysis of data from a study of 89 parent-child dyads randomly assigned to Music Together (experimental condition) or play date (control) found that participants in Music Together had significantly greater increase in measures of conversational turns and quality of parent verbalization. These benefits persisted at 6 month and 12 months after the intervention ended. The study suggests that a community-based music program such as Music Together can have a positive impact on the quality of parent-child language interactions.

Parenting
Mothers as home DJs: Recorded music and young children’s well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mothers with young children were provided with playlists of songs, including from the Music Together Family Favorites collections, to listen to during the pandemic. Families were provided with education about using music listening during the day in strategic ways. Mothers reported positive benefits of listening to music in the home. These benefits included increased concentration during seated tasks, safe expenditure of energy leading to better naps, decreased distress, and increased happiness.

For more case studies or details, check out this document or email research@musictogether.com.