Source note · R056
Improved Speech in Noise Perception in the Elderly After 6 Months of Musical Instruction
Speech-in-noise results from a music trial varied by listening condition and participant group.
- Setting
- Related music & arts
- Kind of evidence
- Intervention studies
- Review extent
- Selected sections reviewed
What was studied
Six-month outcomes from a trial of 156 retired adults comparing piano instruction with an active music-culture program.
What it contributes
Both programs improved some binaural listening results. Piano-related changes varied by site, ear and sex.
Where the evidence stops
There was no nonmusic comparison group, and the findings do not establish a universal piano advantage. This is one outcome paper from a shared trial, not an independent replication.
One piano and music-culture trial, several outcomes
These papers report different outcomes or subsets from the Swiss-German trial registered as NCT03674931. Sample sizes change with the measure and follow-up. They must not be counted as five independent trials.
About this review
This is a targeted review of selected sections. The record should not be read as an appraisal of the entire work.
Publisher-deposited metadata checked; this is not a new full-text appraisal.
Source note updated September 7, 2026. Read our approach to evidence.