Published 2025
Music experience and speech in noise
Instrument-training years did not predict speech-in-noise performance; auditory working memory associated with both.
Why this practice matters
Listening closely to differences in sound
Recognizing a sound means noticing its features, keeping a reference in mind, and comparing what comes next. Our chord-color activities give families a playful way to practice that comparison.
Research reviewed See what’s new →
A skill to grow with.
With practice, explore more sound choices, recognize familiar chords in new voicings, and identify them in another key.
What researchers studied
After six months, a piano-training group showed advantages in consonant-based word discrimination and neural responses to pitch changes compared with reading-training and no-contact groups.
- Participants
- 74 Mandarin-speaking children aged 4–5
- Study design
- Longitudinal study with pseudorandom group assignment
- Training and time
- Six months of piano instruction; 45 minutes, three times weekly
Newer evidence and follow-ups
These studies explore related skills and populations. Read the study details to see how each connects to the original finding above.
Published August 2025
Putting neural-encoding claims to a larger test
Researchers did not reproduce selected earlier associations between musicianship and frequency-following responses to speech.
Connecting the research to your practice
This study examined piano instruction. Our game practices chord recognition; the study provides broader context for music and sound processing, rather than an estimate of what an app round will change.
Look for progress across comparable challenges: more independent answers, longer patterns, or more consistent matching. The parent dashboard keeps guided, recalled, creative, and vocal practice distinct.