Learning a Musical Instrument Such as the Violin Improves Sustained Attention

Authors

  • Paloma Méndez Lorca Universidad Autónoma de Chile
  • Rocío Angulo Universidad Autónoma de Chile

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim to test the effect of learning and practice with a musical instrument (violin) for the sustained attention. In order to do this, sustained attention of violin players (more than eight years of experience with the instrument) and naïve participants was assessed by the test EMAV2. After this first evaluation of the sustained attention, half of the naïve participants received a violin training course for three months, being then all the participants tested again with the EMAV2.The study found a better performance in the EMAV2 for the violin players than the other participants in the first evaluation. After the violin training course, however, the performance in the EMAV2 was similar for the participants who received it and the violin players, being the performance in both cases better than for the naïve participants. These results might be suggesting that the learning and practice with a musical instrument might improve sustained attention after a relatively short period of training.

Keywords:

supervised learning, sustained attention, music, violin