Why should you learn music? Read about the many benefits of
learning music and listening to music and learn about
the best place to study music.
Besides giving you the opportunity to choose a career in music and
become a successful indie
music artist or singer-songwriter, can listening to and learning music help
you think better?
The research says yes, you can boost your brainpower with music.
So what’s the connection between music and the brain?
Music has been shown to improve memory, increase focus and
concentration, and boost problem-solving skills in kids and there are many benefits
of learning music for both kids and adults.
The benefits of learning music for kids
Research on music and the brain shows that you can increase your
brain power if you listen to the right type of music. Music can help improve
cognitive function, improve memory and motor skills for children in special
classes.
One study
showed that children who were exposed to music had better spatial-temporal
reasoning skills than those who weren’t exposed to music, and were better able
to solve problems that required them to think about space and time.
Music helps strengthens non-musical functions such as
communication skills and physical coordination skills required for daily life.
So, if you’re looking for a way to improve your child’s cognitive
function, memory, or problem-solving skills, learning
to play a musical instrument may be the answer.
And, if you have children who need extra help in these areas,
enrolling them in music classes may be the best thing you can do for them.
Music helps promote creativity and problem-solving skills.
Listening to music and playing a musical instrument can build new neural
pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity.
Music also trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. In fact,
one study showed that children who learned to play a musical instrument had
increased intelligence scores compared to those who didn’t learn an instrument.
An article
in Newsweek reported on a study from the University of California. In the
study, researchers followed the progress of three-year-olds, split into two
groups.
The first group had no particular training in or exposure to
music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.
After eight months the musical three-year-olds were much better at
solving puzzles, and when tested, scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence
than the non-musical group.
Another study on music and the brain, done at UC
Irvine’s Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory involved 36
students. They were given three spatial reasoning tests on a standard IQ test.
Just before the first test, they listened to Mozart’s sonata for
Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448 for ten minutes. Before the second test, they
listened to a relaxation tape. Before the third, they sat in silence.
The average scores for all 36 students:
· 1st test: 119
· 2nd test: 111
· 3rd test: 110
That’s an average increase of nine IQ points from listening to
Mozart. It’s assumed that their intelligence didn’t increase, but that the
music put them in a state that gave them better access to the resources of
their brains.
However, other studies
do show that repeated exposure to slow music can permanently increase your IQ,
and it is doubtful that Mozart will harm you, so why wait for more research to
be done on music and the brain? Just play that Mozart!
Brain wave entrainment
Your brain wave frequencies vary according to the state you are
in. For example, daydreaming and meditation usually take place in the “Alpha”
range of frequencies.
Alert concentration is in the “Beta” range. “Brain wave
entrainment” products have beats embedded in music that your brain starts to
follow.
If you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz
(in the Alpha range) it will feel very relaxing. This is because your brain
will begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music.
You’ll generate more brain waves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a
relaxed Alpha mental state. This is the idea behind brain wave entrainment.
Some products use the raw “binaural beats” as they are sometimes called,
embedded in white noise, or in sounds of nature.
I’ve used these products and find them to be pretty powerful,
especially the ones used for mental and physical relaxation.
This free
Silva Ultramind Masterclass is designed to get you into that elusive alpha
state of mind where creativity, intuition, and self-healing happen at an
accelerated rate.
Music can help you fall asleep
One of the most natural remedies for insomnia caused by noise is
actually more noise. That might seem difficult to believe, but it’s important
to understand that the noise that you might need to sleep is specially prepared
just for that purpose.
Studies have shown that certain sounds enhance the desire to sleep
in people. The sounds might differ from person to person but in general, they fall
into several different categories.
These sounds are then transferred onto a recording device and a
consumer who is suffering from insomnia can purchase them. They are often
referred to as sound machines or even noise machines.
The premise is that if a person hears particular sounds that are
soothing to the body, it will help them drift off to sleep. Common sounds that
are available are sounds of nature which many include birds chirping or water
running.
Another category of sound that helps many people beat their
insomnia is certain types of music. The music is designed to be relaxing and
it’s often repetitive, so the sleeper falls into a deep state of relaxation
which ultimately leads to sleep.
Many companies have developed MP3 audios like the Sleep
Salon Brainwave Entrainment that you can purchase to help treat insomnia
through music or recorded sounds.
Music as a form of therapy
Music is often used as a form of therapy to provide stress relief
and treat people with anxiety disorders, among other mental conditions.
Nowadays, it is more formally known as music therapy.
The idea of this form of therapy is at least as old as the
writings of Aristotle. It was administered back during World Wars 1 and 2 when
community musicians visit hospitals to play for physically and emotionally
traumatized soldiers.
Simply put, music therapy is the use of music by a trained
professional to achieve therapeutic goals. These therapeutic goals may include:
promoting wellness, managing stress, alleviating pain, expressing feelings,
enhancing memory, improving communication, and promoting physical
rehabilitation.
Studies have shown that listening to music during an anxiety
attack may calm the person down and relax the sufferer. This is most true with
patients experiencing anxiety prior to undergoing surgery. It is the most
easily administered, inexpensive, non-invasive, non-threatening tool to calm
preoperative anxiety.
Music is an incredibly powerful form of expression. It brings
together words and melody to get a message across. Some songs may trigger
memories, happy or sad, in your mind.
This is the strongest proof that music and human emotions are
interconnected. Giving depressed patients an outlet through music is the best
way for sufferers to, little by little, release the cause of their depression,
and it alleviates patients’ moods too.
Healthy individuals can use music therapy as a form of stress
relief through active music-making. This includes drumming, using the guitar to
make music. You can study
music online and become a successful musician, singer, songwriter, or
independent artist.
The passive approach requires listening for relaxation. Music is
also used as accompaniment during exercise. Music, then and now, has been very
helpful for everyday living.
From the primitive caveman to the modern scientists, everybody
would agree in saying music is indeed the food for the soul, and in therapy,
for the body as well.
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