Musicians have fine-tuned neural distinction of speech syllables

► Certain speech sounds (i.e., /ba/, /da/, and /ga/) are commonly confused. ► Musicians demonstrate greater neural distinction of these sounds. ► Greater neural distinction of these sounds relates to the ability to hear in background noise. ► Older adults and reading-impaired children have decreased discrimination of speech syllables. ► Musical training may be an effective vehicle for auditory remediation and habilitation.