RESERVED SPACE: DEDICATED GREY MATTER FOR MUSIC!

Brain

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last month, The New York Times reported on new research conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology involving the most musical of organs: the brain. Professors Nancy Kanwisher and Josh H. McDermott, and postdoc fellow Sam Norman-Haignere have proven that there are neural pathways dedicated to experiencing music – think a special HOV lane specifically reserved for musical transportation. And it doesn’t seem to matter what type of music it is. Regardless of the style – hip hop, show tunes, rock and roll – these pathways only light up in scans for music. Other sounds seem to have no effect.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

The Auditory Cortex

The part of the brain in question is rather small, but important. The Auditory Cortex, as you might have guessed, is responsible for processing aural info – any sounds that come at you get dealt with here.

Music and the Brain
image source: Wikipedia

The area in question is that tiny pink part of the temporal lobe. Now, why does that matter? Well, I thought it might be worth mentioning that the temporal lobe, among other things, is responsible for long term memory, and we know that music and memory are closely related. I’ll admit it: sometimes I have to sing the alphabet song in my head when putting things in alphabetical order. And those of you of a certain age might remember this gem from Cheers:[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_tT-q8EF0″][vc_column_text]Come on now, friends…the brain is a complex subject. I’m never above bringing in a 1980s sitcom to underscore a point. The fact that the Auditory Cortex is located in the lobe of the brain that deals with long term memory AND there are pathways nearby that only light up when we experience music is telling and perhaps more than coincidental.

So…beyond the fact that music is an incredibly enjoyable pastime, why does this matter to us? Well, there is a theory out there that music is actually older than speech. If music is “more fundamental” to the human brain than everyday verbal communication, than it can have tremendous impact on the human experience. Dr. Josef Rauschecker, the director of the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition at Georgetown University puts it this way:[/vc_column_text][blockquote cite=”- NYT, 2/8/2016″]…music works as a group cohesive. Music-making with other people in your tribe is a very ancient, human thing to do.[/blockquote][vc_column_text]More proof that music is integral to our lives. So get out there! Light up those pathways that seem to have been put in place just to respond to music. Make some musical memories. And as we have learned over the past few posts, make those memories meaningful by creating them with someone special – your spouse, your kids. Hey, if you build a bookshelf, you put books on it. Your brain is built to respond to music: give it what it wants.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][class_finder_form css=”.vc_custom_1457675287583{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

4 Ways Music Helps Your Brain

It’s not a coincidence that some of the most brilliant minds in history were (and are!) also musicians. That list includes famous names like Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Galileo, and Steven Spielberg. Research study after research study continues to show that music education or to be more precise – actively engaging in musical activities on a consistent basis – significantly affects the cognitive development and abilities of participants.

Consider these four big ways music affects the brain.

How Music Affects the Brain

Improved Math Abilities

Long before research studies showed how music-making positively impacts a child’s math abilities and understanding, the great mathematician Pythagorus said, “Music is math made audible.” Now we know that children engaged in math show increased abilities in spatial awareness, pattern recognition, and numbers and measurement. As children grow and continue to participate through high school, music students even score 23 points above average on SAT tests.

Can you identify the pattern in this classic Kindermusik circle dance?

 

Improved Reading Abilities

We could write a whole book on the connections between music and reading. In fact, we have! (You can download our free ebooks from this page). Children who participate in music classes experience boosts in phonological awareness, auditory discrimination, auditory sequencing, and vocabulary. Plus, reading music even models for children how to read left to right and top to bottom.

Improved Memory

When compared to their peers, musicians have better memories. In addition, musicians show improvements in auditory verbal memory and auditory memory. Dr. Nina Kraus, a prominent brain researcher at Northwestern University, has likened the effects of music on the brain to the effects of exercise on the body. Increasing the working memory capacity of the brain improves thinking ability.

For fun, see how well you do in this Kindermusik Memory Game from our Kindermusik @Home Materials.

Kindermusik memory gameImproved IQ

Children who participate in music classes over time experience a boost in their IQ. In fact, the longer a child participates in a consistent weekly music class, the greater the effect.  But you don’t have to just take our word on it, here’s an interesting article recently put out by the American Psychology Association about this very correlation between music classes and IQ.

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Want to give your child access to the brain-changing power of music? Find a local Kindermusik Educator and visit a class today.