By Austin EverhartEDUC 6520

Winter 2013Prof. Quannah Parker-McGowan

By Austin EverhartEDUC 6520

Winter 2013Prof. Quannah Parker-McGowan

Music and the Brain

Brain Benefits of Music:Listening

Brain Benefits of Music:Listening

Therapeutic - strengthens connections in the cortex, lullabies, relieve stress

Educational - Mozart Effect (study showed improved spatial-temoral reasoning), enhance recall, visual imagery, and spatial thinking (working with hands)

Therapeutic - strengthens connections in the cortex, lullabies, relieve stress

Educational - Mozart Effect (study showed improved spatial-temoral reasoning), enhance recall, visual imagery, and spatial thinking (working with hands)

Brain Benefits of Music:Creating

Brain Benefits of Music:Creating

Closely connected to mathematics (patterns, counting, geometry, ratios, sequences) - activates same areas of the brain (left frontal cortex)

Reading - believed strong relationship (fluency, decoding, phonological distinctions)

Verbal Memory

Closely connected to mathematics (patterns, counting, geometry, ratios, sequences) - activates same areas of the brain (left frontal cortex)

Reading - believed strong relationship (fluency, decoding, phonological distinctions)

Verbal Memory

Brain Benefits of Music:Exercise

Brain Benefits of Music:Exercise

Music and movement are connected in our brains

Increased activity in cerebellum when listening to music

Emotions can power us mentally, making exercise easier with music

Music and movement are connected in our brains

Increased activity in cerebellum when listening to music

Emotions can power us mentally, making exercise easier with music

Music: Are we born with it?Music: Are we born with it? Music has been found in every single human

culture Many neuroscientists believe that humans are

hardwired for music A biological basis is perhaps evident in mothers

cooing their babies, a behavior found only among humans, helping to form the bond between mother and child

There are some that disregard the idea that music is an adaptation, seeing music as a “fortunate accident of a complex brain”

Music has been found in every single human culture

Many neuroscientists believe that humans are hardwired for music

A biological basis is perhaps evident in mothers cooing their babies, a behavior found only among humans, helping to form the bond between mother and child

There are some that disregard the idea that music is an adaptation, seeing music as a “fortunate accident of a complex brain”

Music Neuroscience - A growing field...

Music Neuroscience - A growing field...

Research is reaching across disciplines and topics Aspects of music Focused population groups Techniques (EEG,MRI, etc.) Music therapy Education Psychology Culture

Research is reaching across disciplines and topics Aspects of music Focused population groups Techniques (EEG,MRI, etc.) Music therapy Education Psychology Culture

“A commonly held view, in many differing world cultures and at many different times, is that the experience of music has both a significant effect on an individual’s mind, body, and relationships with other human beings, and plays a useful role in the social, “real world””.

“A commonly held view, in many differing world cultures and at many different times, is that the experience of music has both a significant effect on an individual’s mind, body, and relationships with other human beings, and plays a useful role in the social, “real world””. - Introduction to The

Neurosciences and Music IV: Learning and Memory

Music TherapyMusic Therapy “Music Therapy is an established health profession

in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals” - American Music Therapy Association

Aristotle and Plato cited healing powers of music Music therapy’s first reference in 1789 article

“Music Physically Considered” 1800’s - 1st dissertations, interventions, and

systematic experiment

“Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals” - American Music Therapy Association

Aristotle and Plato cited healing powers of music Music therapy’s first reference in 1789 article

“Music Physically Considered” 1800’s - 1st dissertations, interventions, and

systematic experiment

Music Therapy - How it could work...Music Therapy - How it could work...

Music may only affect our auditory cortex directly, but our frontal lobe gets involved and evokes emotions and thoughts - this is perhaps how music can heal

Musical activity and performance is complex! Subcortical and interhemispheric pathways Right Brain (creative, emotional) AND Left Brain

(math and organization) Limbic system is heavily involved - emotions and

emotional memories Music exposure also heals with neuroendocrinal

changes - feel good chemicals

Music may only affect our auditory cortex directly, but our frontal lobe gets involved and evokes emotions and thoughts - this is perhaps how music can heal

Musical activity and performance is complex! Subcortical and interhemispheric pathways Right Brain (creative, emotional) AND Left Brain

(math and organization) Limbic system is heavily involved - emotions and

emotional memories Music exposure also heals with neuroendocrinal

changes - feel good chemicals

Music TherapyMusic Therapy

When Meds Fail: A Case for Music Therapy: Tim Ringgold at

TEDxYouth@BommerCanyon

TED Talk - Robert Gupta: Between music and medicine

Q&A with Robert Gupta

When Meds Fail: A Case for Music Therapy: Tim Ringgold at

TEDxYouth@BommerCanyon

TED Talk - Robert Gupta: Between music and medicine

Q&A with Robert Gupta

Implications/IdeasImplications/Ideas

Promote the use of music in our classrooms!

Expose our students to different types of music

Bring music into reading and writing instruction (songs and rhymes)

Encourage the creation of music - music programs, instruments, drums, etc.

Promote the use of music in our classrooms!

Expose our students to different types of music

Bring music into reading and writing instruction (songs and rhymes)

Encourage the creation of music - music programs, instruments, drums, etc.

ReferencesReferences

Image SourcesImage SourcesSlide 1 | Brain_Waves http://www.newswise.com/images/uploads/2009/04/24/fullsize/Brain_Waves.jpg

Slide 2 | Music-Effect-Infographic http://www.finerminds.com/mind-power/what-music-does-to-your-brain/

Slide 3 | Headphones on Brain http://blog.brainscape.com/2012/09/music-studying/

Slide 4 | Music to Your Brain http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-in-pictures-january-12

Slide 5 | Brain Playing Music http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v8/n7/fig_tab/nrn2152_F1.html

Slide 6 | Swimming with Music http://munfitnessblog.com/ever-want-to-use-your-ipod-in-the-water-h2o-audio-

has-something-for-you/

Slide 1 | Brain_Waves http://www.newswise.com/images/uploads/2009/04/24/fullsize/Brain_Waves.jpg

Slide 2 | Music-Effect-Infographic http://www.finerminds.com/mind-power/what-music-does-to-your-brain/

Slide 3 | Headphones on Brain http://blog.brainscape.com/2012/09/music-studying/

Slide 4 | Music to Your Brain http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-in-pictures-january-12

Slide 5 | Brain Playing Music http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v8/n7/fig_tab/nrn2152_F1.html

Slide 6 | Swimming with Music http://munfitnessblog.com/ever-want-to-use-your-ipod-in-the-water-h2o-audio-

has-something-for-you/