We Got the Beat: How Music Affects the Brain
Pop, country, hip-hop, rap, RnB, classical, rock. For the most part, music is a leisurely activity that people enjoy, but the reality is that music does wonders for the brain and its development.
“Music is a way to escape the stress and responsibility I feel from school and helps me get back in touch with myself,” says Sophie Korkmaz, a high school student in advanced sciences. Music is a way that many students free themselves from the stresses that school brings, as Sophie tells us.
People respond to different sounds and, in finding your sound environment, you can help your brain concentrate more efficiently. Finding the sound that works best for each individual enables the brain, thus the person, to be in a deeper state of concentration.
A study from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland “reveals how wide networks in the brain, including areas responsible for motor actions, emotions, and creativity, are activated during music listening.” This study was one of the first to use actual music and not artificially created sound clips.
The study found that “music listening not only recruits the auditory areas of the brain, but also employs large-scale neural networks.” This means that, when the brain takes in the pulse of the music it reaches the motor areas in the brain, this scientifically showed that music is directly linked to the movement of the body. It also showed that the part of the brain that deals with emotions, were “involved in rhythm and tonality processing.” Finally, the music also have an effect on mind-wandering and creativity.
"We believe that our method provides more reliable knowledge about music processing in the brain than the more conventional methods," says Prof. Petri Toiviainen from the University of Jyväskylä.
There are also multiple benefits when someone can actually play an instrument as well. Learning to play any type of instrument requires concentration, employs motor skills, a huge level of discipline. As one learns a new instrument, using the skills that require them to learn the instrument to the best of their abilities, their brain absorbs all this knowledge.
Dr. Frank Wilson, professor of neurology at the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco shows in his studies “that instrumental practice enhances coordination, concentration and memory and also brings about the improvement of eyesight and hearing. He further reports that the process of learning to play an instrument refines the development of the brain and the entire neurological system.”
Overall, there have been many scientific studies showing how the brain is affected by music. Something that is so integrated in the lives of so many has been proven to have an amazing effect on how we live our lives. Looking at it from the perspective of our generation, we are constantly bombarded with school, work, homework, sports, and the importance of maintaining a social life with friends and family. Integrating music in this busy life is something that so many of us do unconsciously; we don’t do so in order to reap the scientifically proven benefits, those are simply bonuses.
Listening and playing music enables the brain to focus more efficiently on what we are working on. If this is applied when students are doing school work, then they are more likely to get a better grade on an assignment or the test that they are studying for. When the music affects the emotions, students can use it as a way to destress when pressure gets too high.
No one can really argue with science--people try, but it is futile. With the scientific benefits that music has on the brain, it is evident that, when used with a good work ethic and the right intentions, there is an increased in the success that can come from the work that an individual will put in for themselves. Music will not fix everything, but integrating this art into your routine can simply better the effects of what your brain can do without it.