Active musical training on working memory

Musical training has gained interest as one of the viable paradigms for working memory training. Its efficacy on working memory enhancement however, has been subjected to many controversies. We hypothesize that these controversies may be due to the lack of differentiation between active and passive musical training. In this review, we introduce the notion of active learning as our framework in supporting working memory training. Its elements of student activity and active engagement underlie the positive transfer effects to enhancing one’s working memory. We synthesize studies from multiple sources demonstrating that the benefits of active musical training (particularly instrumental training) extend to both domain-specific and domain-general working memory. For example, individuals who undergo active musical training have better verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory and executive attention. This advantage of active musical training generalizes broadly across different populations. Further, we point to a resource-sharing model to account for the transfer effects from active musical training to working memory. The sharing of cognitive functions and overlapping of neural mechanisms between active musical training and working memory components facilitates the transfer for working memory enhancement. We conclude that active learning in musical training uniquely engenders transfer effects and thus fosters working memory enhancement.Bachelor of Art