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The Enriching Power. Of Music. THE MUSIC & LEARNING CONNECTION. Researchers exploring the connection between music and learning noticed that musically-trained people excelled in many areas. They found that….
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The Enriching Power Of Music
THE MUSIC & LEARNING CONNECTION Researchers exploring the connection between music and learning noticed that musically-trained people excelled in many areas.
They found that… 66% of music majors who applied to medical school were accepted, while only 44% of biochemistry majors were admitted. The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are, without exception, practicing musicians. Students who study music scored higher on both the verbal and math portions of the SAT than non music students. Students with 10 or more years of music education exhibited significantly greater creativity.
MUSIC HAS THERAPEUTIC POWER Music can actually reduce brain seizures in common forms of epilepsy. Music is used as an intervention for controlling pain. Music is a therapeutic tool for Alzheimer patients. Improvisational music therapy increases communication skills in children with autism.
MUSIC CAN IMPROVE OUR HEALTH! One of the most valuable outcomes for music us is the lowering of damaging stress hormones.
MUSIC FOR THE VERY YOUNG Evidence suggests that exposure to music, even in the womb, can facilitate development. Tests with infants as young as 3 months show that they use sound cues as a means to remember. Music increases social interaction in preschoolers. The window of opportunity for music receptivity is open widest in pre-school through middle childhood.
THE BRAIN IS PRIMED FOR MUSIC • The highest level of human auditory function is organized to process a musical element (pitch). • Attention to music increases cooperation between right and left frontal lobes. • Music affects cognitive states, moods, and emotions.
THE BRAIN IS PRIMED FOR MUSIC Short- and long-term causal relationships have been found between learning music skills and spatial-temporal reasoning ability. Music instruction involves both declarative and procedural memory. Keyboard training enhances the learning of standard subjects, including math and science.
The “Mozart Effect” There are short-term spatial-temporal reasoning gains following listening to classical music like Mozart’s, which has symmetry and evolving musical themes. In the early 90s, a group of college students listened to a work by Mozart before completing a spatial temporal task. Another group performed the task without the music time.
The “Mozart Effect” The scores of those who listened to the music were significantly higher than those who did not. The bad news is that the effect only lasts about ten minutes.
LONG-TERM GAINS THROUGH MUSIC Performing or learning music skills: actually builds the brain. The active participation is what is important.
LONG-TERM GAINS THROUGH MUSIC Embedding content in musical/rhythmic “carriers:” People who write commercials bank on the fact that their “ditties” will help you recall information.
LONG-TERM GAINS THROUGH MUSIC Using music to generate positive mental states (emotions) for optimal learning and recall: Music has the power to affect human emotion When attached to an experience, strong positive emotions stimulate long-term memory. Evidence shows that people in positive frames of mind remember information better than when affected by negative emotions.
MUSIC PRIMES THE BRAIN FOR LEARNING Music primes learners to be receptive to an experience by invoking a suitable emotional climate. Even when we aren’t consciously listening, music affects our emotional state. Think about elevators, restaurants, stores and malls.