Why Music?

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Twelve Benefits of Music Education

1. Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. It is thought that brain development continues for many years after birth. Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain's circuits in specific ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint information on young minds. 2. There is also a causal link between music and spatial intelligence (the ability to perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures of things). This kind of intelligence, by which one can visualize various elements that should go together, is critical to the sort of thinking necessary for everything from solving advanced mathematics problems to being able to pack a book-bag with everything that will be needed for the day.

Read the rest of the 12 Benefits of Music Education. 

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Music Can Be Helpful In Shaping Better Future For Kids

A recent study by researchers at Michigan University reveals that children, who are musically inclined or involved in any creative arts, are more successful in later life.

 Earlier studies have proved that children who indulge in arts and crafts develop better brains but researchers could not pinpoint how that translates into later success.

READ: Music Can Be Helpful In Shaping Better Future For Kids 

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An Arts Education Develops Strong Creative Multi-Disciplinary Minds

An education in the arts is imperative to the overall development of strong creative multi-disciplinary minds and the progression of humanity.

The global economic challenges of the last decade have forced governments to re-prioritize spending across the board. 

In school systems, this has resulted in the cutting of superfluous programs like arts and music education.  But are the arts and music really superfluous – or are they an essential part of a student’s development?

While on the surface choir, band, drama, dance, and other arts may not seem to be as important as math, science, history, or language, there is scientific research that seems to contradict this belief. 

Read: An arts education develops strong creative multi-disciplinary minds

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How Do Our Brains Process Music?

Does our enjoyment of music—our ability to find a sequence of sounds emotionally affecting—have some neurological basis? From an evolutionary standpoint, does enjoying music provide any advantage? Is music of any truly practical use, or is it simply baggage that got carried along as we evolved other more obviously useful adaptations? 

In an excerpt from his new book, David Byrne ponders these questions and explains why sometimes, he prefers hearing nothing.

Read: How Do Our Brains Process Music? 

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Music Can Help You Study

Did you know music can help you study? Studies have shown that the right kind of music can help you relax your mind which enables you to concentrate better. Perfect to studying, doing homework or studying for a test or exam. It cuts down on distractions and helps you focus on your work.

The most cited study is the “Mozart effect” a set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart’s music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as “spatial-temporal reasoning” which is the ability to think out long-term, more abstract solutions to logical problems that arise.

But what kind of music is best and where can you find good music to listen to while studying?

Read: Music Can Help You Study

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How Music Could Make You a Rocket Scientist

There is a very strong correlation between childhood engagement in the creative arts and measurable success later in life, researchers at Michigan State University have found.

Although a number of scientists have demonstrated that exposure to music and art during early life enhances the development of the brain, it has been difficult to measure how that has affected their adult performance.

READ How Music Could Make You a Rocket Scientist

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How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice?

2 hours? 4 hours? 8 hours? 12 hours?

How much is enough?

Is there such a thing as practicing too much?

Is there an optimal number of hours that one should practice?

READ: How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice?

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Creating a Musical Home Environment

Your child spends more time at home than any other place. This is especially true at preschool age, but even after kids begin school, home is still the predominant source of most experiences. It’s the parents’ responsibility to create the environment in the home, so it’s important that you include music in a meaningful way. Start by incorporating these simple steps into your daily routines.

READ Creating a Musical Home Environment

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What Music Should My Child Listen To?

Whether they’re singing along with Curious George’s theme song or asking you to turn up a popular song on the car radio, children love music. But what kind of music should kids listen to at a young age? Here are some helpful tips on creating an appropriate musical library for your child.

READ: What Music Should My Child Listen To?

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Is Music the Key to Success?

CONDOLEEZZA RICE trained to be a concert pianist. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a professional clarinet and saxophone player. The hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner is a pianist who took classes at Juilliard.

Multiple studies link music study to academic achievement. But what is it about serious music training that seems to correlate with outsize success in other fields?

READ: Is Music the Key to Success?

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Music Graduates Are More Employable Than You Might Think

If you study medicine at university, chances are you'll become a doctor. For music students, it's less obvious what job you'll end up with… but it could be really fulfilling. The perception that options are narrow and jobs are few for music graduates needs to change.

It's wrongly assumed that when it comes to jobs, music students are confined to their field of study. In reality, music graduates go on to do a wide range of jobs in a variety of different industries.

READ: Music Graduates Are More Employable Than You Might Think 

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Can a Music App Boost Your Brain Power?

We’re all familiar with the 3 o’clock slump: the time toward the end of the workday when your mind gets fuzzy, and concentrating is nearly impossible. While some people reach for another cup of coffee to combat fatigue and avoid another Buzzfeed black hole, other people believe that there’s a better, caffeine-free way to boost concentration: music.

“I knew that people instinctively liked to listen to music while doing work,” says Will Henshall, founder and CEO of neuroscience-based music service Focus@will, “[so I] started to look into the neuroscience of what’s happening in your brain while you’re trying to concentrate.”

READ: Can a Music App Boost Your Brain Power?

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New Evidence Links Music Education, Higher Test Scores

Does studying music boost students’ overall test scores? Recent research casts doubt on that belief, concluding that the link between music education and good grades appears to reflect the impressive nature of the students who study music, rather than an intrinsic effect of the lessons themselves.

But a new study from Canada suggests music lessons may in fact have wide-ranging intellectual benefits. It finds that, among a group of high-performing high school students, grades were consistently higher for those who continued music classes compared to those who dropped them after two years of compulsory training.

READ: New Evidence Links Music Education, Higher Test Scores

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MOVING TO THE RHYTHM CAN HELP LANGUAGE SKILLS

"It seems that the same ingredients that are important for reading are strengthened with musical experience. Musicians have highly consistent auditory-neural responses.

"It may be that musical training - with its emphasis on rhythmic skills - can exercise the auditory-system, leading to less neural jitter and stronger sound-to-meaning associations that are so essential for learning to read," added Prof Kraus.

Read: Moving To The Rhythm Can Help Language Skills

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MAKING MUSIC MAKES A NICER KID

"Kid musicians are nicer, more helpful and have better problem-solving skills than kids who don't make music, according to a new study. Researchers say the findings demonstrate how important it is to have music in schools."

Read: Making Music Makes A Nicer Kid

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ARTISTS 'BETTER PROTECTED' AGAINST DEMENTIA, STUDY FINDS

"Artists compared with non-artists are better protected, he added. "Due to their art, the brain is better protected [against] diseases like Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, and even strokes. They have more reserve in their brain in order to give functions."

Read: Artists Better Protected Against Dementia, Study Finds 

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"THE POWER OF MUSIC" TO AFFECT THE BRAIN

"...scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. That's why she sees so much potential in music's power to change the brain and affect the way it works."

Read: "The Power Of Music" To Affect The Brain