“When we love a piece of music, it reminds us of other music we have heard, and it activates memory traces of emotional times in our lives. Your brain on music is all about, as Francis Crick said, connections.” What is music? Many of us have distinctive definitions of this complex term because it plays a unique role in each of our lives. Daniel J. Levitin, the author of This Is Your Brain on Music, looks at music from a neuropsychological perspective. How music affects us is connected through our brains neurochemistry, our mental associations with the music, our culture, and our spirit, which are all mentioned in this scientific journey.
One effective method for me is playing music while writing essays for English. I have found that this type of music is a fantastic way to become inspired and it aids in intellectual development. As a musician I have always gone to music when I am lacking inspiration and it has never failed me. Whenever I have an essay to write for English, the first thing I do is start up my music. Writing is not a challenging task for me but it does demand a certain imaginative spark that I find in music.
Describe evolutionary explanations for the attraction of a celebrity (10 marks) The evolutionary theory looks at how behaviors displayed today may have been a source of survival for our ancestors. Attraction to creative individuals A particular characteristic displayed by humans is our love for novelty which is known as ‘neophilia’. Before TV and computers, ancestors would have to engage in activities that would amuse the others and neophilia would have led to more creative displays by people perceived to be potential partners. This explains how characteristics that develop in humans such as love for music and art – these are highly valued by individuals when choosing a mate. We are drawn to individuals who display these creative skills, and the magnification of such characteristics that are broadcast regularly into our living rooms makes our attraction to such figures even greater.
Music has been shown to help cognitive growth, help students understand other subjects such as math and language, and teach very important life lessons. While sports do help a student grow physically, music helps that student grow mentally. Neuroscientists have conducted experiments with this, and found that music does in fact have a huge impact on how one’s brain develops. Dr. Laurel Trainor, professor of psychology, neuroscience, and behavior at McMaster University, Canada, lead a team of scientist in a study in which they studied the mental development of children (all ages 4 through 6) who took extra music lessons and children who did not. Over the year, they found that as their brains matured, it took less time for their to be an auditory response to a musical note versus some other sort of white noise, meaning that their brains became more able to process sounds faster.
The Central Idea of the article “The Value of Music That Tickles The Brain” by Kara Rogers, is to inform the reader that the greater amount of activity in the nucleus accumbens, the more they related to the music emotionally, and the more money they are willing to pay for it. Also how music differs in a dramatic ways and the value we put in music we have never heard before is directly associated with how much it tickles our brain. Five Key Points: 1. “Personal taste in music differs dramatically, and yet, when we hear something we like, whether Mozart or Miles, or Metallica or Macklemore, our brains light up in the same way…” 2. “It is clear, however, that we associate emotions with music, and the connection between music and reward, the new study indicates, appears to have much to do with "crosstalk," or communication, between two specific areas of the human brain: the auditory cortex, which stores information on sound, and the nucleus accumbens, which stores information on emotions and reward.” 3.
Even though part of his inspiration came from personal problems, he proves that no matter what happens in life always continue and follow your dreams. Tchaikovsky’s music has inspired me to go beyond the notes and play the piece musically as well as to determine what the composer was feeling and experiencing during the compositional process. Due to his extraordinary work, Tchaikovsky has helped me develop my own creative and intellectual skills in an entirely different way. He has increased my respect for composers and artists. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky may very well be one of the greatest composers of all time.
Why is Music Education so Important Laura Andrews Monday, January 03, 2011 EN1300 - Composition II Music education is the most valuable and beneficial out of all the educational studies, And should be available and to all students regardless of cost. Education in music was once regarded as the single most important thing a person could ever learn. Philosophers from every corner of the globe agreed upon this matter and felt that music was too important to be discarded, Studies show that music can positively affect test scores and improve spatial reasoning skills. Music is arguably the greatest defining trait when it comes to culture. If it were to be removed from the standard curriculum, it would signify the death of culture.
Pink has presented sharp scientific evidence in his book “A Whole New Mind” that comes as common knowledge to the majority of us in our society. He also stressed the several capabilities of right-brain thinking such as creativity, artistry, empathy, and overall big picture viewpoints. Therefore, he claims that our new era requires a right-brain thinking which included essential senses as story, symphony, empathy to prepare for, and be successful in the future. New ideas were presented in a new way of thinking that believes right brainers will rule the future. Pink points out the roles of the two hemispheres of our brains: the left hemisphere is logical, sequential, mathematical, etc., and the right hemisphere is intuition, creative, artistic,
We should want to improve the intelligence of our nation. The greatest annuity that could be the most valuable effort to society is the accessibility to music. The fine arts are not just designated for those that want to become a professional musician or major in music. I studied music all throughout middle and high school, but am majoring in public relations. My understanding and experience of music has helped me excel in more than one particular subject field.
From this, Davidson argued that meditation could cause long-term effects on the human brain, leading to the implication that the human brain is affected by environment and own thinking - and therefore is able to adapt to certain stimulations. The experiment does support the theory of interaction between cognition and physiology, because of the results showing a permanent change in the monks’ brain and not in the controls’. Gamma waves - or the activity of this in the brain is what binds perception, memories, and thought together. It has through empirical studies (e.g. Benasich, 2008) been made probable that development of gamma wave activity in the brain has a connection to and possibility to improve cognitive and language skills.