Music is a vital part of
human existence, it is used to express people’s thoughts and feelings about
themselves and the world around them. Can you imagine watching a movie or
attending a wedding without music to enhance the drama and create a vibrant
effect? Music is everywhere; it is heard on television, radio, and movies as
well as in ceremonies and church services. In fact, music is often used to
teach language and culture because songs encode cultural meanings and world
views. In essence, songs tell thousands of human stories, and it is difficult
to imagine a culture without music.
Lift
people’s moods
Listening to and
performing music involves nearly every region of the brain and almost every
neural subsystem, so a rich environment for learning is provided. Many regions
of the brain are triggered when listening to music. The brain stem, cerebellum,
and cochlear nuclei are the areas at the base of the brain that become
activated when first listening to music. Then auditory cortices on both sides
of the brain process various sounds. When listening to music one is familiar
with, the hippocampus or memory center is triggered. Tapping with the music
either outwardly or inside one’s head relies upon the timing found in the
cerebellum. Performing music as a singer, conductor, or instrumentalist
involves the frontal lobes which are responsible for planning movements. In
addition, two other parts of the brain are activated during performance. These
include the motor cortex in the back of the frontal lobe and the sensory cortex
which tells if one pressed the correct key on the instrument. When reading
music, the visual cortex in the back of the head is triggered. Recalling or
listening to lyrics involves language centers in the frontal and temporal
lobes, the latter being responsible for hearing and memory. The emotions
experienced in listening to and performing music originate in the limbic system
which controls emotions. In particular, the network found in the mesolimbic
system, which is involved in arousal and pleasure, transmits opioids and
produces dopamine, a chemical that is associated with a positive mood. This is
the reason music has been known to help lift people’s moods when they feel
down.
Starts at womb
It is interesting that the
initial start of language production in babies involves babbling sounds which
have small elements of melodic contour. Research has shown that babies respond
to both music and language in the womb, indicating that auditory memory and
sound discrimination occurs before birth. Dr. Alfred Tomatis used fiber optic
cameras to observe babies in utero. He discovered that they moved a specific
muscle, such as an arm or leg, each time they heard a particular phoneme.
Tomatis’ discovery suggests the importance of combining sensory input with
action for learning to occur. Thus, the sensory-motor response of the babies to
phonemes allows them to begin the process of learning language in the womb. Dr.
Tomatis also observed that by twenty-four weeks the baby blinked its eyes upon
hearing music and moved as if dancing to the beat. These results suggest that
sound perception and its analysis could be one of the first processes to
develop. Likewise, Gardner believes that the musical intelligence is one of the
first to be developed in children. Thus, it may be beneficial for mothers to
start singing and speaking to their babies in utero to help create the best
opportunities for the development of language and music. Perhaps this is why
Towell quoted Plato who said, “Music is a more potent instrument than any other
for education and children should be taught music before anything else”. Music
and Motivation Music can be extremely beneficial for children who are hard to
reach because they do not learn through traditional teaching methods. Some
teachers have used musical intelligence in their lessons in an effort to
address different learning styles. For example, teachers might use math raps
and songs to help students learn states and capitals as well as memorize their
multiplication facts. The alphabet is even learned through song.
Famous
Quotes
“If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.” ― William Shakespeare
“If I were not a physicist, I would
probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to
the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
― Plato
“To live is to be musical, starting with the blood dancing in
your veins. Everything living has a rhythm. Do you feel your music?” ― Michael Jackson
