Research Updates
Here at Bigger Better Brains we believe that through educating yourself, you can then educate and affect positive change in your community.
With all of the research in the field of neuromusical science, our BBB Research section serves as a content hub for you. We regularly share findings and break down the latest research to educate and inspire discussion. We hope you enjoy this page on our website and share BBB news with your colleagues, parents and students.
Why Productive Struggle Works
Mistakes in music learning can be more than errors, they can become information. Discover how productive struggle helps students notice, adapt and build learning that lasts.
How Music Learning Supports Sound Processing in Neurodivergent Learners
What if music could help neurodivergent students focus, listen, and communicate more easily? Music learning strengthens how the brain processes sound, supports attention and memory, and helps students filter speech in noisy settings. For learners with ADHD, autism, or sensory challenges, it offers a structured, motivating way to build essential skills.
The Brain Behind the Beat: What Musical Anhedonia Teaches Us
Some students don’t light up when the music soars—and it’s not about effort or attitude. Neuroscience is uncovering how individual brain wiring can shape emotional responses to music, including a rare condition called specific musical anhedonia. As educators, this challenges us to broaden our lens: what if joy in music doesn’t look the same for everyone?
Music Isn’t a Break from Learning—It’s the Launchpad
Music isn’t just an artform—it’s a brain booster. This post explores how music primes the brain for learning by enhancing focus, memory, and emotional connection. For music teachers, it’s a reminder that every lesson is more than musical—it’s neurological.
How Music Primes the Brain for Learning
This article delves into the transformative impact of music education, particularly for underserved students, and a strategic tool for addressing academic challenges, boosting attendance, language skills, and social integration.
Explaining music and the brain to young children
You don’t have to be a musician to reap the benefits of music. Enjoying music activates a slew of brain regions, including areas involved in hearing, movement, reward, and emotion.
Why does music bring us pleasure?
This study shows for the first time a causal role of dopamine in musical pleasure and motivation: enjoying a piece of music, deriving pleasure from it, wanting to listen to it again, being willing to spend money for it, strongly depend on the dopamine released in our synapses.
Can music listening and performance change our genes?
Possibly! This heavy duty article highlights the recent research which has found that music listening and performance has been found to influence how genes behave or regulate themselves. The first few sentences set the scene and we have done a translation for you.
Are neuroscientists causation happy?
Prof Schellenberg compared 114 articles about music training and brain development and then analysed the titles and abstracts for the inference of causational (one action causes another) findings and correlational (a connection between two things) findings.
Are all studies created equal?
Periodically the research community completes a systematic review, sometimes known as a literature review, of a given area of research.
Musical tastes can predict personality traits and political leaning
Do you have similar musical tastes to your friends? How about your work colleagues? Do you think musical tastes tell us anything else about a person? This study thinks it might when it compared musical taste with political leaning.
Would you want to know your musical potential?
Here is one hell of a tricky question – if your musical potential, meaning your likelihood of being successful at learning music (whatever that really means) could be measured, would you want to know?
FINAL Course for 2026 - Oct 26 to Nov 13
Learn how to share the importance of your music program in a way that finally lands.
Build powerful advocacy from the inside out. The Music Advocacy Method Course helps school and music program communities craft research-informed messaging that resonates with students, parents, colleagues, school leaders, funders and policy makers. Whether you’re looking to grow enrolments, boost recognition, or build a stronger support base, this course gives you the structure, guidance and tools you need to speak with clarity and confidence.
What’s Included
3 x 30‑minute Webinars and 3 x 30‑minute Live Chats with Dr Anita Collins
Learn directly from world-renowned music education advocate Dr Anita Collins as she guides you through each stage of building an impactful advocacy campaign tailored to your own school or program.
Weekly Exercises Based on the BBB+ Advocacy Method
Hands-on tasks designed to help you identify misconceptions, map your key audiences and craft messages that work.
Downloadable Workbook and Planning Templates
Structured resources to guide your thinking, shape your language and develop your strategy.
Access to Webinar Recordings for 3 Months
Revisit each session in your own time to reinforce your learning and refresh your message development.
3 Months of Premium BBB+ Membership
Gain full access to the entire BBB+ library of over 500 evidence-informed advocacy tools and resources to support your work during and after the course.
Certificate of Completion
Document your professional learning and add to your teaching portfolio.
Return Access at a Discounted Rate
Completed the course but want to run a new campaign next year? Come back for just $50, saving you time and money.
What You Will Learn
Use the course content and templates to identify misconceptions about music learning in your context, understand what drives them, and reshape the conversation. Build your messaging for a range of uses, from concerts and parent nights to emails, newsletters, staff briefings and school marketing materials. Whether you’re presenting in person or posting online, your messages will be grounded in evidence and tailored to connect.
Why the Method Works
People may support music learning in theory, but rarely understand its full impact. This course helps you move beyond assumptions by providing the latest research and practical tools to communicate clearly and persuasively. When communities understand the true value of music learning, they become your greatest advocates.
Who Would Benefit from the Course
Classroom and ensemble music teachers
Instrumental teachers
School music coordinators and department heads
Studio and small business music program owners
Leaders of school or community music programs
Anyone seeking to strengthen support for music learning in their community
The Music Advocacy Method Course empowers you to lead with research, speak with clarity and inspire meaningful change for your program and your students. This course is delivered in English only.