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
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