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.
7 Amazing Reasons to Introduce Music in Early Childhood Education
If you are looking to develop your child’s emotional, social, motor and cognitive skills from early childhood, then try introducing music in early educational programs. Watch this video to learn more!
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.
Inspire students with performers they already know
French-translated digital posters featuring internationally recognised actors, musicians and entertainers whose stories highlight the role music learning has played in their journeys.
Music learning can take you anywhere. The “Wanna Be Like…” Performers Edition French Digital Posters introduce students to well-known performers whose musical experiences form part of their story.
From actors to musicians and entertainers, each poster helps students see that music learning can build skills and experiences that reach far beyond the music room.
WHAT YOU GET
14 x Performer Posters:
Featuring internationally renowned actors, musicians and entertainers with connections to music learning.5 x Female Performers:
Including Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Emma Stone and other creative powerhouses.9 x Male Performers:
Including Ryan Gosling, Ewan McGregor, Tom Hiddleston and other well-known performers.All 14 posters are translated into French, A4 size and ready to instantly download, print and display.
HOW TEACHERS USE THEM
Display them in classrooms, music rooms, studios and school spaces
Use familiar performers to spark students’ interest in music learning
Start conversations about where musical skills and experiences can lead
Encourage students to see music learning as part of a much bigger journey
Share them with parents and your wider school community to highlight the value of music learning
Use them in French-speaking and bilingual learning environments
WHY IT WORKS
Students may recognise the performer without knowing that music learning has also been part of their story.
These posters use familiar faces to create an unexpected connection, helping students see that learning music can contribute to skills and experiences that extend into many different pathways.
They’re a simple way to get students thinking: Where could music learning take me?
CREATED IN COLLABORATION
These posters were created in collaboration with Erica Rothschild, a French-Canadian music teacher from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came to us with the idea of bringing the “Wanna Be Like…” series to a French-speaking audience.
A huge merci to Erica for helping us translate, refine and bring these posters to life, making them available for more music educators and students to enjoy.
We’re so grateful to Erica for helping us share the power of music learning with an even wider community.
COMMON QUESTIONS
How many posters are included? 13 digital posters featuring 13 performers.
What language are they in? The posters have been translated into French.
Who is featured? 5 female and 8 male performers, including actors, musicians and entertainers.
What size are they? A4.
Is this a physical product? No. This is a digital download that you can print yourself.
Who are they for? Music teachers, French-speaking educators and schools looking for an engaging way to advocate for music learning.
Where can I use them? Music rooms, classrooms, studios, hallways and other school or community spaces.
Add to cart NOW. Instantly download, print and show students where music learning could take them.
BBB+ gives music teachers everything they need to make the case for music all year round:
A new advocacy toolkit every month
A library of 500+ tools and resources
Exclusive student exercises and advocacy materials
Member discounts
Inspire students with powerful male role models
French-translated digital posters showcasing inspiring men whose journeys highlight the unexpected connection between music learning and success across sport, performance, science, exploration and beyond.
Music learning can take you anywhere. The “Wanna Be Like…” Male Edition French Digital Posters introduce students to inspiring men from a range of fields who have music learning as part of their story.
From elite athletes and acclaimed performers to scientists and explorers, each poster gives students a real-life example of where music learning can lead, encouraging them to pick up an instrument and imagine where their own journey could take them.
WHAT YOU GET
22 x Male Role Model Posters:
Featuring inspiring men from diverse fields with connections to music learning.12 x Athletes:
Including sporting champions like Roger Federer.8 x Performers:
Including Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar Isaac and other acclaimed performers.1 x Scientist:
Highlighting the connection between music, creativity and thinking.1 x Astronaut:
Featuring a modern-day explorer with a musical background.All 22 posters are translated into French, A4 size and ready to instantly download, print and display.
HOW TEACHERS USE THEM
Display them in classrooms, music rooms, studios and school spaces
Introduce students to inspiring male role models with connections to music learning
Start conversations about the different pathways music learning can support
Encourage students to think beyond traditional ideas of where learning music can take them
Share them with parents and your wider school community to highlight the value of music learning
Use the French-translated versions in French-speaking and bilingual learning environments
WHY IT WORKS
Students don’t always see the connection between learning music now and the skills, interests and opportunities they may carry into the future.
These posters make that connection visible through recognisable male role models from diverse fields, showing students that music can be part of many different journeys — not only a career in music.
By seeing successful men who have learned or played music, students are encouraged to think bigger about where their own music learning might take them.
CREATED IN COLLABORATION
These posters were created in collaboration with Erica Rothschild, a French-Canadian music teacher from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came to us with the idea of bringing the “Wanna Be Like…” series to a French-speaking audience.
A huge merci to Erica for helping us translate, refine and bring these posters to life, making them available for more music educators and students to enjoy.
We’re so grateful to Erica for helping us share the power of music learning with an even wider community.
COMMON QUESTIONS
How many posters are included? 22 digital posters featuring male role models.
What language are they in? These posters have been translated into French.
Who is featured? Athletes, performers, a scientist and an astronaut.
What size are they? A4.
Is this a physical product? No. This is a digital download that you can print yourself.
Who are they for? Music teachers, French-speaking educators and schools looking to inspire students while advocating for music learning.
Where can I use them? Music rooms, classrooms, studios, hallways and other school or community spaces.
Add to cart NOW. Instantly download, print and inspire students to discover where music learning could take them.
BBB+ gives music teachers everything they need to make the case for music all year round:
A new advocacy toolkit every month
A library of 500+ tools and resources
Exclusive student exercises and advocacy materials
Member discounts
Inspire students with powerful female role models
French-translated digital posters showcasing inspiring women whose journeys highlight the unexpected connection between music learning and success across sport, performance, leadership and beyond.
Music learning can take you anywhere. The “Wanna Be Like…” Female Edition French Digital Posters introduce students to inspiring women from a range of fields who have music learning as part of their story.
From elite athletes and acclaimed performers to public figures and pioneers, each poster gives students a relatable example of where music learning can lead, while encouraging them to pick up an instrument and imagine where their own journey could take them.
WHAT YOU GET
15 female role models.
Featuring 7 athletes, 5 performers, 2 public figures and 1 astronaut
Inspiring women including Serena Williams, Michelle Obama and Sarah Gillis
A4 size, ready to instantly download, print and display
HOW TEACHERS USE THEM
Display them in classrooms, music rooms, studios and school spaces
Introduce students to inspiring female role models with connections to music learning
Start conversations about the different pathways music learning can support
Encourage students to think beyond traditional ideas of where learning music can take them
Share them with parents and your wider school community to highlight the value of music learning
Use the French-translated versions in French-speaking and bilingual learning environments
WHY IT WORKS
Students don’t always see the connection between learning music now and the skills, interests and opportunities they may carry into the future.
These posters make that connection visible through recognisable female role models from diverse fields, showing students that music can be part of many different journeys, not only a career in music.
By seeing successful women who have learned or played music, students are encouraged to think bigger about where their own music learning might take them.
CREATED IN COLLABORATION
These posters were created in collaboration with Erica Rothschild, a French-Canadian music teacher from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came to us with the idea of bringing the “Wanna Be Like…” series to a French-speaking audience.
A huge merci to Erica for helping us translate, refine and bring these posters to life, making them available for more music educators and students to enjoy.
We’re so grateful to Erica for helping us share the power of music learning with an even wider community.
COMMON QUESTIONS
How many posters are included? 15 digital posters featuring female role models.
What language are they in? These posters have been translated into French.
Who is featured? Female athletes, performers, public figures and an astronaut.
What size are they? A4.
Is this a physical product? No. This is a digital download that you can print yourself.
Who are they for? Music teachers, French-speaking educators and schools looking to inspire students while advocating for music learning.
Where can I use them? Music rooms, classrooms, studios, hallways and other school or community spaces.
Add to cart NOW. Instantly download, print and inspire students to discover where music learning could take them.
BBB+ gives music teachers everything they need to make the case for music all year round:
A new advocacy toolkit every month
A library of 500+ tools and resources
Exclusive student exercises and advocacy materials
Member discounts
Help students turn struggle into progress
A practical toolkit that helps music teachers show students what to do when learning gets hard, so getting stuck becomes part of the learning process rather than a reason to stop.
Learning music is full of moments when things don’t work straight away. A note won’t sound right, a rhythm won’t settle, or something that worked yesterday suddenly feels difficult today.
The Productive Struggle Toolkit gives teachers, students and parents practical strategies for navigating these moments. Students learn to stay with a challenge, notice what happened, change their approach, try again and know when to come back later — building a process they can use whenever they get stuck.
WHAT YOU GET
19-page Productive Struggle Book – practical guidance to help you understand productive struggle and teach students how to work through difficult learning moments.
1 Six Habits for Students Poster – a visual reminder of the productive struggle cycle and what students can do when they get stuck.
1 Printable Handout for Instrumental Teachers – practical prompts and strategies to use when students are struggling during lessons.
4 Printable Parent Handouts – help families support productive struggle at home, with practical language they can use during music practice.
7 Printable Music Learning Habits Cards – quick, student-friendly strategies students can reach for when they don’t know what to try next, including narrowing their attention, making a challenge smaller, changing their approach and slowing things down.
WHAT IT HELPS YOU DO
Give students practical strategies for what to do when they get stuck
Turn mistakes and difficult moments into opportunities for learning
Help students notice what happened before simply trying again
Teach students to make challenges smaller and more manageable
Encourage students to change their approach when something isn’t working
Build more purposeful practice habits
Give parents practical language to support music practice at home
Help students recognise that getting stuck doesn’t mean learning has stopped
HOW TO USE IT
Introduce the six Productive Struggle habits to your students, then bring them into everyday lessons and practice.
When a student gets stuck, use the prompts and activities to help them notice what happened, choose a change, test it and decide what to do next. Keep the Music Learning Habits Cards nearby so students can choose a strategy themselves, and share the parent handouts to extend the same language into home practice.
WHY IT WORKS
Students don’t just need encouragement to “keep trying.” They need strategies for how to keep learning when something feels difficult.
Productive struggle teaches students that difficulty is a normal part of music learning. Instead of repeating the same attempt or seeing being stuck as failure, students learn to notice, adjust, test and keep moving forward.
Stuck isn’t stopped. It’s about finding your next move.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What is productive struggle? It’s helping students learn how to respond when something is difficult rather than immediately giving up or relying on someone else to solve it.
Who is this toolkit for? Music teachers, instrumental teachers and parents who want practical ways to support students through challenging learning moments.
What ages can I use it with? The strategies can be adapted across different ages and stages of music learning.
How do I use the Music Learning Habits Cards? Keep them accessible during lessons or practice and encourage students to choose a card when they’re stuck. Each gives them a simple action or question to help them find their next move.
Can I share resources with parents? Yes. The toolkit includes four printable parent handouts designed to help families support productive struggle during music practice.
Is this a digital product? Yes. The toolkit is an instant download with printable resources.
Add to cart NOW. Give your students the tools to know what to do when learning gets hard.
LOVE THIS TOOLKIT? GET A BRAND-NEW ONE EVERY MONTH
This toolkit is $50 on its own. BBB+ Premium Toolkit and Premium Annual members receive a brand-new toolkit straight to their inbox free every month, plus access to over 500 evidence-based resources.
Join as a Premium Toolkit member for $60 a year, just $5 a month, and get a new toolkit every month plus the full resource library. That is less than the cost of two standalone toolkits for a whole year of support.
Want everything BBB+ offers? Premium Annual is 50% off right now.
Become a BBB+ Premium Toolkit member today CLICK HERE
Get 50% off Premium Annual CLICK HERE
Build the habits that make music learning last
Six digital posters that make the habits developed through music learning visible, helping students recognise the skills they are building every time they learn, practise and perform.
Music learning develops more than musical ability. Every rehearsal, mistake, challenge and breakthrough gives students opportunities to practise habits that support how they learn, respond and grow.
The Habits of Music Learning Posters bring six of these habits to life. Each poster breaks a habit into simple, practical behaviours, giving students a visual reminder of what successful learning looks like and teachers a shared language to reinforce it.
WHAT YOU GET
6 digital Habits of Music Learning Posters
Habits include Persistence, Collaboration, Focus, Adaptability, Self-Management and Confidence
A4 size, ready to download, print and display
HOW TEACHERS USE THEM
Display them in classrooms, studios and rehearsal spaces as everyday learning reminders
Refer to a habit when students encounter challenges in their music learning
Help students recognise the skills they are developing through practice and performance
Start conversations about how these habits can support learning beyond music
Share them with parents and school leaders to demonstrate the wider value of music learning
WHY IT WORKS
Students practise these habits through music all the time, but they may not recognise that they are developing them. Making the habits visible helps students connect what they are doing in music with how they are learning.
Instead of simply telling a student to “focus”, “keep trying” or “work together”, the posters give them practical ways to understand what those habits look like in action.
“These posters have given my students a language for the skills they’re already building through music. Now I can point to a habit and they immediately understand what we’re working on and why it matters.”
Music Teacher
COMMON QUESTIONS
How many posters are included? Six digital posters.
Which habits are included? Persistence, Collaboration, Focus, Adaptability, Self-Management and Confidence.
What size are they? A4.
Is this a physical product? No. This is a digital download that you can print yourself.
Who are they for? Music teachers who want students to recognise and strengthen the habits they develop through music learning.
Where can I use them? Classrooms, studios, rehearsal rooms, practice spaces or anywhere students learn music.
Add to cart NOW. Put the habits of successful music learning where your students can see them every day.
BBB+ gives music teachers everything they need to make the case for music all year round:
A new advocacy toolkit every month
A library of 500+ tools and resources
Exclusive student exercises and advocacy materials
Member discounts
Give your music program a health check
A practical diagnostic book that helps you assess the health of your music program, identify strengths and warning signs, and decide what needs attention next. Music programs are living systems.
Participation shifts, students come and go, staffing and resources change, workloads grow and school priorities evolve. A program that felt healthy two years ago may look very different today.
The Music Program Health Check gives you a structured way to step back and examine how your program is really functioning. Using the familiar language of a medical check-up, you’ll identify symptoms, examine the vital signs of your program, separate evidence from assumptions and create a clear prescription for what comes next.
WHAT YOU GET
8-page Music Program Health Check – assess your program at a glance, identify symptoms and distinguish evidence from assumptions.
9-page Music Program Vitals Check – examine eight areas of program health: Participation, Retention, Capacity, Visibility, Advocacy, Community, Student Growth and Culture.
4-page Music Program Results Summary – bring your findings together, identify priorities and create your Prescription for what to continue, monitor, improve and celebrate.
3 Professional Learning Activities – extend your Health Check through guided reflection and practical activities designed to support your next steps.
WHAT IT HELPS YOU DO
See the overall health of your music program
Recognise strengths and uncover warning signs
Identify where pressure is building
Check whether your program is sustainable and supported
Move from assumptions to evidence
Decide what needs your attention now and what can wait
Turn your diagnosis into clear priorities for action
HOW TO USE IT
Set aside 30–60 minutes of uninterrupted time, just as you would for a health appointment. Start with your first impressions, symptoms and Health Snapshot. Then work through each area, comparing the Healthy Signs and Warning Signs and giving each a green, amber or red diagnosis.
Bring your findings together in your Program Health Report, then write your Prescription: what should continue, what needs monitoring, what is most important to improve and what deserves to be celebrated.
Finally, schedule your next Health Check for 3, 6 or 12 months so you can revisit your results and see what has changed.
WHY IT WORKS
No single measure can tell you whether a music program is healthy. Strong enrolments can exist alongside unsustainable workloads. Successful performances can mask retention problems. A busy program may still struggle to be seen, understood or valued by the wider school community.
The Music Program Health Check helps you look at the whole program. By examining multiple indicators together, you can see what is working, uncover where pressure is building and make more informed decisions about where to focus next.
“I knew where some of the pressure points were, but seeing the whole program laid out like this helped me connect the dots. It gave me a much clearer idea of what was working, what needed attention and where to focus next.”
Mary, Music Teacher.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the Music Program Health Check? A practical diagnostic book for assessing the strengths, pressures and overall health of your music program.
What does it assess? Participation, retention, capacity, visibility, advocacy, community, student growth and culture.
Do I need data before I start? No. It helps you identify what you already have evidence for and where you may be relying on assumptions.
How long does it take? Set aside approximately 30–60 minutes.
Is it only for struggling programs? No. It helps you identify what is working well as well as what may need attention.
What happens at the end? You create a Program Health Report and Prescription outlining what to continue, monitor, improve and celebrate.
How often should I use it? Revisit your Health Check in 3, 6 or 12 months depending on your results.
WANT MORE SUPPORT FOR YOUR MUSIC PROGRAM?
Your Music Program Health Check helps you identify where your program needs attention. BBB+ helps you decide what to do next.
BBB+ gives music educators access to 500+ evidence-based resources designed to strengthen advocacy, build understanding and support healthier, more sustainable music programs. Premium Toolkit members also receive a brand-new toolkit every month, giving you practical resources to tackle new challenges as they arise.
Join as a Premium Toolkit member for $60 a year, just $5 a month. That is less than the cost of two standalone toolkits for a whole year of support. Click Here
Want everything BBB+ offers? Premium Annual is 50% off right now. Click Here
Make the skills your students build through music visible
A simple, low-stakes app and teacher toolkit that helps students notice, record and celebrate six learning habits that grow through music, from focus to self-management.
Music builds far more than musicians. Every time students practise, they develop focus, persistence, adaptability, collaboration, confidence and self-management, skills that serve them well beyond the music room. The Music Learning Passport helps students notice, record and celebrate that growth, and gives you a simple way to capture it. Students work through six passport stamps in the app, reflect on the habits they are building, and email their finished learner profile to you and their parents.
WHAT YOU GET
Access to the Music Learning Passport app: a link and password to share with your students, who track their progress on any device
A teacher how-to guide with everything you need to set it up and run it with your class
Six printable habit pages, one for each habit, each with a clear explanation, how music develops it, what it looks like in practice, and a reflection prompt
A shareable learner profile: once students collect all six stamps, they choose their strongest skills and email a finished profile to you and their parents
Six Habits of Music Learning posters to display in your classroom, reinforcing each learning habit throughout the year
WHAT IT HELPS YOU DO
Make the skills students build through music visible to them, to you and to parents
Support reflection, goal-setting and student-teacher check-ins
Provide a light-touch piece of evidence for assessment
Help students who are struggling to see their own progress
Strengthen the case for music by showing the wider skills it develops
HOW TO USE IT
Share the app link and password with your students, then use the passport as a quick end-of-term reflection, a goal-setting activity for a new term, a student-teacher check-in, or a support tool for students who need it. Students can complete it independently, in class or through guided discussion, and email their finished profile to you when they are done. Use the printable habit pages to introduce each stamp or spark class discussion.
WHY IT WORKS
When students can see the habits they are building, music learning becomes about more than performance. It becomes visible proof of the focus, persistence and self-management they are developing, skills they carry into every part of their lives. As one student profile puts it, music is not only about what you can perform, it is shaping the learner you are becoming.
"This app was a lifesaver on a day I couldn’t be in class and I didn’t want to set just another worksheet to complete. This experience was deeply beneficial for the students and has sparked many many conversations.” Holly, Middle School Music Teacher
COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the passport? A student app plus a teacher toolkit for tracking six learning habits that grow through music.
How do students access it? You share a link and password. Students can complete it on any device.
Will their progress save? Yes, progress saves on the device they use, so students should return to the same device and browser each time.
Do I need to mark anything? No. Students reflect and email their finished profile to you. It is designed to be low stakes and low effort.
How can I use it? End-of-term reflection, goal-setting, check-ins, assessment evidence or support for students who need it.
Add to cart NOW. Help your students see how far their music learning has taken them.
LOVE THIS TOOLKIT? GET A BRAND-NEW ONE EVERY MONTH
This toolkit is $50 on its own. BBB+ Premium Toolkit and Premium Annual members receive a brand-new toolkit straight to their inbox free every month, plus access to over 500 evidence-based resources.
Join as a Premium Toolkit member for $60 a year, just $5 a month, and get a new toolkit every month plus the full resource library. That is less than the cost of two standalone toolkits for a whole year of support.
Want everything BBB+ offers? Premium Annual is 50% off right now.
Become a BBB+ Premium Toolkit member today CLICK HERE
Get 50% off Premium Annual CLICK HERE
Make the power of music learning visible — now in French
16 French-translated digital posters that show students, parents and school communities that an instrument is more than what you see — it’s also a powerful tool for learning and the brain.
The “This Is Not Just…” French Digital Posters take everyday musical instruments and reveal what’s really happening when students learn to play them.
From the violin and piano to the saxophone and beyond, each poster helps communicate the wider value of music learning in a simple, eye-catching way.
This French edition has also been redesigned from our original black-background series with a lighter, more printer-friendly format, making it easier to print and display in your music room, classroom or school.
WHAT YOU GET
16 French-translated “This Is Not Just…” Digital Posters
Featuring a variety of musical instruments
Updated printer-friendly design
A4 size
Ready to instantly download, print and display
HOW TEACHERS USE THEM
Display them in music rooms, classrooms, studios and hallways
Help students recognise what they’re developing while learning an instrument
Start conversations about the wider benefits of music learning
Share them with parents and school leaders as an easy-to-understand advocacy tool
Use them throughout French-speaking and bilingual school communities
WHY IT WORKS
To someone looking in from the outside, a violin may simply look like a violin, or a piano like a piano.
These posters help reveal what else is happening through music learning, giving teachers a simple visual way to communicate its value beyond musical performance.
They’re designed to make people stop, look and think:
“This is not just an instrument.”
CREATED IN COLLABORATION
These posters were created in collaboration with Erica Rothschild, a French-Canadian music teacher from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who came to us with the idea of bringing the “This Is Not Just…” series to a French-speaking audience.
A huge merci to Erica for helping us translate, refine and bring these posters to life, making them available for more music educators, students and school communities to enjoy.
We’re so grateful to Erica for helping us make the power of music learning visible to an even wider community.
COMMON QUESTIONS
How many posters are included? 16 digital posters.
What language are they in? All posters are translated into French.
What size are they? A4.
Are they printer-friendly? Yes. This edition has been updated from the original black-background design to a lighter, more printer-friendly format.
Is this a physical product? No. This is an instant digital download that you can print yourself.
Who are they for? Music teachers, French-speaking educators and schools wanting to advocate for the wider value of music learning.
Where can I use them? Music rooms, classrooms, studios, hallways and community spaces.
Add to cart NOW. Instantly download, print and make the power of music learning visible in French.
BBB+ gives music teachers everything they need to make the case for music all year round:
A new advocacy toolkit every month
A library of 500+ tools and resources
Exclusive student exercises and advocacy materials
Member discounts
See what members get HERE