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The effects of music on the body and brain
Music and brain relationship
The effects of music on education
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Recommended: The effects of music on the body and brain
Most understand that music is a useful tool for relaxation and leisure time. Fewer know that learning a musical instrument, or even listening to music for long periods of time, can have a positive impact on one’s academic abilities. Numerous researchers and college professors have looked into this correlation and again and again have produced data that confirms this common theory. Studying music can not only improve academic skills, but sharpen motor skills, memory, and create a well rounded, enriched individual.
Standardized testing is used across America to evaluate students’ development and learning in school. The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation’s Sound of Learning program recently conducted an experiment to evaluate the proficiency on standardized tests of students that were involved in a higher level music program in school. 4,739 students from middle school and elementary schools were included in this study. The elementary part of the study showed that students enrolled in a top quality music program scored 20 percent higher in math, and 22 percent higher in English classes and tests (Music Education can help..).Middle school results were similar to those of the elementary students (NAMM study reveals connection between music education & high test score). The president/CEO of the NAMM foundation, Joe Lamond, was quoted saying, “School administrators, teachers, and parents all agree that music and arts education contribute to children achieving their full potential, which is the purpose of our educational system and something we all care deeply about."
M.I.N.D (Musical Intelligence Neural Development) is another institute that has put years of work into showing and applying the correlation b...
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Few would argue against the idea that we educate ourselves and our society so that we have adequate means with which to understand and interact with elements of the world around us. Subjects such as mathematics, language, history, and the hard sciences are granted immediate and unquestioned legitimacy in our schools, and with good reason. We encounter each of these elements of our lives on a daily basis. We need to have an understanding of these disciplines in order to interact with them, otherwise they are meaningless to us. I submit that the same can be said for the fundamental concepts of music. Music is something that we encounter in our society every day. It surrounds us. Indeed it would be practically impossible to escape. Like so many other naturally occurring phenomena, a discipline has been developed over centuries to help us interact with music, and that discipline is what I and those of my profession are charged with teaching.
While it is true that physical activity is highly beneficial not only for us physically, but also for us mentally, learning to play an instrument benefits us in countless ways. There was a study done that showed increased executive function when individuals exercised. An article discussing the study defined executive function as, “skills important for planning and organizing, focusing on schoolwork, resisting impulses, self-monitoring and using strategies to achieve goals” (Hellmich 4d). Therefore, evidence shows, and I highly agree, that physical activity is beneficial. But music is equally, if not more advantageous than physical activity. Physicist Gordon Shaw and psychologist Frances Rauscher gathered together a team of neurobiologists, mathematicians, educators and musicians at the University of California in order to research the relationship between music education and cognitive abilities. According to an article in the New York Amsterdam
Many people do not realize the positive effect that popular music has on children. At a young age one of the breakthroughs for children is music’s benefit for language development. According to the Children’s Music Workshop, the effect of music education on language development can be seen in the brain. Studies have indicated that musical training develops the left side of the brain known to be involved in processing language and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. The relation between both music and language development can also have advantages children. Listening to music can also improve children test scores and IQ levels. Dr. Schellenberg found that a small increase in the IQs of six year olds who were given weekly vocal and piano lessons. This leads to the fact that music is very helpful when it comes to education. Professor Christopher Johnson revealed that students in elementary schools with better music education programs sc...
There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...
Exposer to music is crucial to young children’s brain development. Not only does it develop otherwise unused areas of the brain, like the auditory cortex, it increases children's future intellectual enjoyment level (Matter). Music at an early age enhances sensitivity to sound and pitch, which can lead to better phonological and reading skills (Moreira). Without a music program in schools students do not get the full exposure to music and music theory that is needed for brain development.
Students enrolled in music classes and lessons have higher test scores than the students who are not enrolled in these classes. Music education has a strong impact on the success of a student in the classroom. "Music majors have the highest SAT scores in all areas" (Mickela “Music and Student Development”). Th...
As time goes on and technological capabilities increase, so too will knowledge of how music affects our brains. Scientists will be able to discover the full potency of the effects of music on our psyche, and how improvisation and creativity in music affect the brain along with immoral lyrics in certain music. Understanding this subject is relevant to becoming and better musician, student, and teacher.
Music is a basic part of everyday life. What makes music unique is its ability to create an emotional response in a person. A music education program should develop the aesthetic experience of every student to its highest potential. Aesthetics is the study of the relationship of art to the human senses. Intelligence exists in several areas, which includes music. The concept of aesthetics allows us to see into ourselves, which in turn helps the development of the intelligences. Not only are these intelligences brought up greatly in music education, but they can be transferred to other areas as well, allowing students to grow more through their other subjects.
The position that is being argued is that music should stay in schools. This author is making the claim that music makes children excel in their education. This author uses many different sources. The author relies mainly on studies to back up his argument. The article is recent.
Music and the Brain. (n.d.). Music and the Brain. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://tdlc.ucsd.edu/research/highlights/rh-music-and-brain-2011.html
Even when children learn music they able to listen, sing, dance, create movement. Listening to music draw out emotions, and playing music can be just like communicating emotions. Some people find this a very powerful experience. “ Music enriches the lives of students and should be considered a necessary part of education.”
The academic benefits of music education are immense. In a study by Shirley Brice Heath, a researcher at Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, students with at least three hours of participation in the arts, three days a week for at least a year are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement (Ford, AdamMcMahon, Maureen). Students in music excel in core subjects such as math, English, and science. In 1997, the College Board produced a study, revealing that students with at least four years of music education scored an average of 49 points higher on the verbal section of the SAT and 34 points higher of the math section (“Arts Education”). These days, this is the difference between being accepted to a college and not.
Summers, Alex. "The Important Role Of Music In Learning."Edudemic. N.p., 19 Apr 2013. Web. 14 Mar 2014.
Cooper, Belle. " How Music Affects and Benefits Your Brain."lifehacker.come. N.p., 11 22 2013. Web. 3