We tend to think of music as something that’s just…nice.

It’s aesthetically pleasing, it’s cute to see kids plucking at a guitar or singing nursery rhymes.

But we’re missing the bigger picture.

Music is critical.

It’s not just about teaching kids a few tunes to get them through a talent show. It’s about wiring their brains for empathy, cooperation, and connection — skills we desperately need in a world that’s becoming more individualistic, more aggressive, and more disconnected by the day.

Music may just be one of the best tools we have to ensure our survival as a species — to confirm we’re humans who give a damn about each other.

The power of playing music together

An intriguing study at the Max Planck Institute aimed at seeing if joint music-making could foster cooperation among 4-year-old kids.

Scientists paired up children and had them engage in either music-making activities — singing, dancing, playing instruments — or non-musical activities (e.g. rhythmic movements without musical elements) for 15 minutes.

Then, they placed the children in a situation where one of them needed help (for example, retrieving a toy or opening a box). They wanted to see whether (and how quickly) these kids who participated in music-making were willing to help their peers compared to those who did not engage in music.

What did they find?

Kids who made music together showed a 30% increase in spontaneous helping and cooperation with each other compared to the non-musical group.

The kids in the musical group created a stronger bond thanks to music, and that showed when it mattered: helping each other. Congratulations! You’ve helped them build a connection that goes deeper than just working together on music.

Cooperation isn’t something you learn just in boardrooms, it’s shaped from childhood. So when kids participate in activities that foster group endeavors like creating music, they develop better social and emotional skills. Over time, this could translate to adults who are not just more collaborative but also more empathetic, engaged, and connected.

Play more, care more

Three researchers from the University of Cambridge wanted to find out if kids engaging in musical activities long-term could influence something beyond just rhythm and melody: empathy.

What if engaging in repeated group music-making activities could enhance kids’ ability to feel and respond to others’ emotions?

Maybe music’s natural elements — like rhythm, imitation, and synchrony — could subconsciously cultivate empathy, instead of teaching it directly.

Scientists ran a year-long program where kids played musical games together. It wasn’t about making music perfect but rather getting these kids synced up emotionally. The researchers measured empathy before and after using non-verbal cues like matching facial expressions.

To put this into perspective, imagine showing a kid a picture of someone who looks really sad, and then asking them to match that expression, or tell you how they think the person feels. A simple, wordless way to measure if the kid can “read” the emotion and feel it themselves.

The results?

Kids who made music together saw empathy scores jump by 25% compared to those who didn’t. It’s not just that they got better at recognizing emotions in faces, they also became more likely to care about how someone else was feeling.

After the music-making activities, kids were more likely to intervene when they saw someone in distress. They would comfort a peer who was upset, help out someone who was struggling, or show concern when they noticed someone wasn’t feeling great.

They took the basic level of empathy (identifying emotions in others) to the next level (acting on that emotional recognition).

Takeaway

If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s this: we need music in schools now more than ever.

Cutting music programs like we’ve seen in countries like the UK is shortsighted and damaging. Music isn’t an “extra” — it’s an essential tool for raising kids who grow into adults who are not just smarter but kinder, more empathetic, and more cooperative.

Creating a generation that’s not only good at getting along but thrives in group dynamics is crucial. We’re social beings, and we need to get better at coexisting.

Music primes kids to become better citizens and human beings.

If we want a better world, music has to be part of the equation.

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