Music & Cognition

There is an incredible link between music and the mind. Music is more than just a beautiful art form, it is a brain science phenomenon. Research has demonstrated that music can positively impact almost every aspect of the mind at any age. Engaging with music can enhance memory, boost attention, improve language skills, and support emotional regulation as just a few positive benefits. Music stimulates multiple areas of the brain simultaneously and strengthens neural connections that can promote learning and lifelong cognitive health. At every age - from the first moments after birth, through the last breaths of life, music has the power to transform the way we think, feel, and connect.

Big Picture and General Literature

Thompson, W. F. (2009). Music, Thought, and Feeling: Understanding the Psychology of Music (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Knopf.

Mehr SA (2025) Core systems of music perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2025.05.013

Music as Enhancement for learning and Mnemonics


Ludke, K., Ferreira, F., & Overy, K. (2013). Singing can facilitate foreign language learning. Memory & Cognition, 41(5), 817–826. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-013-0342-5 

Knott, D., & Thaut, M. H. (2018). Musical mnemonics enhance verbal memory in typically developing children. Frontiers in Education, 3, Article 31. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00031 

Cirigliano, M. M. (2013). Musical mnemonics in health science: A first look. Medical Teacher, 35(3), e1020–e1026. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.733042 

Knott, D. (2017). Musical mnemonics training: Proposed mechanisms and case example with acquired brain injury. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/miv016

Ludke, K. (2009). Teaching foreign languages through songs [Master’s dissertation, University of Edinburgh].

Blood, A. J., & Zatorre, R. J. (2001). Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 98(20), 11818–11823. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.191355898 


1. Randomized Controlled Trials in Preterm Infants

Haslbeck, F. B., Bucher, H. U., Bassler, D., et al. (2021). Creative music therapy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre‑term infants at 2 years: A randomized controlled pilot trial. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 9, Article 660393. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.660393

Loewy, J., Stewart, K., Dassler, A. M., Telsey, A., & Homel, P. (2013). Effects of music therapy on vital signs, feeding, and sleep in premature infants. Pediatrics, 131(5), 902–918. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1367

Stevens, T., Rowland, B. A., & Peterson, S. (2016). Effects of live music therapy on autonomic stability in preterm infants: A cluster‑randomized controlled trial. (Excerpt summary) Autonomic improvements were documented, reinforcing benefits seen in previous studies. PubMed+4Pitchfork+4PubMed+4PMC

2. Meta-Analyses & Systematic Reviews

Tarrant, R. C., North, A. C., & Hargreaves, D. J. (2016). Music therapy for preterm infants and their parents: A meta‑analysis. Pediatrics, 137(5), e20152325. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2325

Mohan, A., Gokulakrishnan, G., El‑Saie, A., et al. (2021). Music therapy for preterm neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit: An overview of systematic reviews. Acta Paediatrica, 110(12), 3180–3200. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.16055

Standley, J. M. (2003). Music for medical indications in the neonatal period: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing, 17(no.), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013472

3. Device‑Mediated Interventions

Standley, J. M. (2000). The effect of contingent music to increase non‑nutritive sucking of premature infants. Pediatric Nursing, 26(5), 493–499. PMID 12026338

Standley, J. M. (2003). Music‑reinforced non‑nutritive sucking on feeding rate of premature infants. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 18(3), 169–173. https://doi.org/10.1053/jpdn.2003.34

4. Clinical Implementation & Program Reports

Erdei, C., Schlesinger, K., Pizzi, M. R., & Inder, T. E. (2024). Music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit: A center’s experience with program development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes. Children, 11(5), 533. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11050533

Neonatal and Preterm Music Therapy

A Brief Literature of Music & Cognition Research

1. Neural & Neurophysiological Mechanisms

2. Development, Training & Plasticity

  • Kraus, N., Slater, J., Thompson, E. et al. (2014). Music enrichment programs improve the neural encoding of speech in at-risk children. Journal of Neuroscience, 34, 11913–11918. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1881-14.2014

  • Miendlarzewska, E. A., & Trost, W.-J. (2013). How musical training affects cognitive development: rhythm, reward, and other modulating variables. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2013.00279

  • Wan, C. Y., & Schlaug, G. (2010). Music making as a tool for promoting brain plasticity across the life span. Neuroscientist, 16(6), 566–577. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858410377805

3. Cognitive Performance & Category Learning

  • Schoff, A., Johnson, A., & Kane, L. (2023). Effects of genre, emotional response, and perception of music on simple cognitive tasks. Journal of Science and Medicine. https://doi.org/10.37714/josam.vi0.112

  • McAuley, J. D., Henry, M. J., Wedd, A. et al. (2012). Effects of musicality and motivational orientation on auditory category learning: a test of a regulatory‑fit hypothesis. Memory & Cognition, 40, 231–251. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-011-0146-4

4. Rhythm, Sensorimotor & Rehabilitation

  • Emmery, L., Hackney, M. E., Kesar, T., McKay, J. L., Rosenberg, M. C., et al. (2023). An integrated review of music cognition and rhythmic stimuli in sensorimotor neurocognition and neurorehabilitation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1530(1), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15079

  • Patel, A. D., & Daniele, J. R. (2003). An empirical comparison of rhythm in language and music. Cognition, 87(1), B35–B45. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-0277(02)00141-6

5. Language, Syntax & OPERA Hypothesis

6. Emotion, Memory & Autobiographical Recall

  • Juslin, P. N., Barradas, G., & Eerola, T. (2015). From sound to significance: Exploring the mechanisms underlying emotional reactions to music. American Journal of Psychology, 128(3), 281–304. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.128.3.0281

  • Kayne, J., & Kullar, M. (2022). The experience of music perception: a review of physiological, neural, and psychological responses. Journal of Student Research, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i3.3313

  • Särkämö, T., & Soto, D. (2012). Music listening after stroke: beneficial effects and potential neural mechanisms. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1252, 266–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06405.x

7. Embodied Cognition & Sensorimotor Integration

  • Leman, M. (2007). Embodied Music Cognition and Mediation Technology. MIT Press.

  • Matyja, J. R. (2016). Embodied music cognition: trouble ahead, trouble behind. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 182. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00182

8. Theoretical & Structural Models

9. Comparative, Cross-Cultural & Cross-Species Perspectives