...Music and the Brain: A Relaxing State of Mind Tina Wireman ENG 102-2132 Argumentative Analysis Essay Baker College Music and the Brain: A Relaxing State of Mind The study of how music affects the mind has been a subject of interest for many. The interconnection between music and the physical and mental health of humans has been researched for many years. Research has shown that music does have positive effects on the mind. It has the power of healing certain aliments. Indian classical music has been found to have the strongest healing power in music. Music has a calming effect on the mind. It is known to speed the recovery of health aliments. It helps fight anxiety and has a reassuring effect on the brain. Music soothes the savage beast, they say, but can it calm a stressed-out mom or help someone get over an illness? Can it transport a person into the realm of imagination? Can music make you focus better and rise to your peak in competition? You probably know what the answer is already. Yes. Music can do this, and more. It can be said that music is a very powerful and awesome tool, that can have positive effects, virtually lifesaving mentally and physically when used in the right context, but has equally destructive and detrimental potential if used negatively. For music to have a positive effect on the mind and brain, it should be complex enough to involve brain activity. It should be simultaneous and generate sound waves that are in tune with the body’s internal rhythm...
Words: 1832 - Pages: 8
...phrase ‘The Mozart Effect’, aptly named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, describes a phenomenon where children, under the age of three, listened to Mozart’s music and have improved brain function. According to Claudia Hammond, this phenomenon originated in 1991 when a study at the University of California Irvine showed that students who listened to Mozart and then attempted spatial puzzles completed those puzzles more successfully than students who did not listen to Mozart. A farmer in Italy claimed that when his “buffalos were played Mozart three times a day, they produced better milk” (Hammond) and some studies have found that simply listening to as well as practicing music “can increase IQ by as much as three points” (Hammond). Even...
Words: 2430 - Pages: 10
...Music can help a brain develop better. Music was first originated around the Medieval Era. Most of the tune at that time was made for the church. The Renaissance Era came around about in the year of 1400. The people living in that era invented musical instruments like the lute and the tenor recorder. By the middle of the 15th century, composers and singers had evolved the music into different type of genres like ballad, pop or rock. Now a days, instead of using instrument to make songs, there are machines made to product those sounds. While listening to music can be used for entertainment, it can also be used in a different ways like triggering abundant of different type of areas in the brain like the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. Music is also good for increasing sleep quality, improving brain functions, and enhance many different skills like spatial reasoning and or perception skill....
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...effect of Music therapy on Human Brain Music therapy started in late 18th century but architects in the medicine industry had long interest and research in the entire field trying to find out all the issues and aspects in the field. It is under this case that statistics shows that actually healing activities dates to ancient times. This kind of principle is evident through the biblical aspects that have been put forward to explain the issues of concern. Some of historical aspects that have been used to explain these issues relating to music therapy were retrieved from ancient writings from civilizations such as Greece, Rome, China, India and Egypt. In present scenario, the power of music tends to be the same as it was used in those old days. However there is a modification of the same in the present times due to enrichment of various ways that have been used to facilitate realization of amicable goals accordingly (Aldridge 65). In United States the profession within the Music therapy started to be developed during the two world wars whereby music was extensively by veterans administration Hospitals as a tool to address and cushion traumatic war injuries that were being experienced. Many veterans in these days were wholly involved passively and actively involved in music activities which revolved in relieving perceptions that occurs in pain. Many doctors and their nurses during those days had the chance to experience all the effects that were directly as a result of music. This...
Words: 1637 - Pages: 7
...ASSESSMENT – A Culture of Inquiry Please work with your department faculty to develop a graduate profile that reflects common goals among all departments and in relationship to our mission statement. This graduate profile should be ready prior to our next Program Chairs meeting on October 7th, when we will discuss and come to agreement about what we believe is our “ultimate” graduate profile. Following program chairs’ agreement, the material will go to the full faculty for discussion and vote. I will also gather input from Student Affairs so that we understand their contribution to the success of our students. Readings about assessment and what it is are attached.* As I mentioned earlier, we will be working our way through this process together, and developing our assessment program in relationship to the goals and values unique (and/or integral) to this institution. Additional readings are on reserve in the library, and an enormous amount of information is available on the web. *Distributed at the Program Chairs meeting on 9.9.2008 MISSION Maine College of Art delivers a demanding and enlivening education in visual art and design within an intimate learning community. We teach each student how to transform aspirations and values into a creative practice that serves as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. VALUES o Maine College of Art’s educational philosophy is built on the premise that focused individual attention and...
Words: 6365 - Pages: 26
...How can people’s brains affect their understanding and experience of music? Explore the effects of amusia and how it impacts the lives of those suffering. Music is everywhere. In every day life, music is now omnipresent. In the shopping centers, in your car, at a wedding, in a school presentation, on the bus, on the television, in commercials, on your MP3. Music is often at times inescapable. It can impact our lives on such a large scale and for many becomes part of their identity. There are some people, however, who suffer from brain disorders that distort the way in which they can interpret and comprehend musical sounds. Amusia is a brain disorder that affects the way in which sufferers can hear music and it is estimated that around 4% of the general population may experience tone-deafness (Peretz, 2006, pp. 1--32). It can be from birth, but usually arises due to a brain injury or brain operation. Amusia has been described as the inability to hear or differentiate between tone, pitch or other musical attachments (eg rhythm or time). The word amusia is made up of a prefix ‘a’, which means ‘not’ or ‘without’. In this sense, it signifies an individual that is without music, or without the ability to interpret or understand music on a basic mechanical level. To clarify, these people are able to hear and interpret other sounds and voices normally. They only have an issue in regards to any musical tone. On some levels, everyone can relate to having some mild form of amusia...
Words: 1645 - Pages: 7
...things provided by music is emotional power. According to the ‘multiple mechanism’ theory, music can influence human emotion in many different ways except *a. visual imagery and association with past, present and future event b. expectancy and fulfilment or violation c. activation of the brainstem by arousing acoustic features d. acoustics cues that resemble the sound of emotional voices medium Source: Section 6.1 page 22, 2nd paragraph, line 6 More questions being arise due to lack explanation on how the music’s universality can affect the emotion. Therefore Patel discuss how the multiple mechanism theory states that music can enhance emotion in five different ways which are 1) expectancy and its fulfilment or violation, 2) activation of the brainstem by arousing acoustic features (e.g., sudden, sharp onsets); 3) association with past events; 4) visual imagery; or 5) acoustic cues that resemble the sounds of emotional voices. The two examples of biological power of music discuss by Patel in the reading are I recovery of brain functions after stroke II recovery of cerebral palsy in premature baby III recovery of verbal fluency in aphasia IV recovery of deaf due to exposure of high volume sound *a) I and III b) I and II c) II and III d) III and IV Easy-medium Source: Patel reading section 4 of the biological power of music: two examples Patel clearly discuss the two examples of music and the recovery of brain functions after stroke and music and recovery of...
Words: 4510 - Pages: 19
...Music is unique to human beings. We are the only species on earth capable of making and comprehending music. It has existed since the early stages of human life; it is believed that music was developed before language and speech. It has the power to change our moods and behavior, as well as affect the way we go about the things we are simultaneously doing. Music is constantly changing and evolving, and many times it shapes our current culture. There is argument over whether the music nowadays has a negative effect on America’s youth. Hip-hop takes the blame for many social problems in America, however many people overlook the influence it has and are unwilling to learn what it is about. Music, and more specifically hip-hop, has a positive influence on people and our culture in several different ways, including the way it affects the human brain, and the way it shapes and changes our culture and society as a whole. Music has an effect over people on a neurological level, which goes unnoticed by many. Music makes the human brain operate and can be beneficial at very early stages of brain development. Music helps immensely in learning and memorization; babies can even speed up their auditory comprehension due to musical exposure. Adults speak slowly to babies, annunciate syllables, and emphasize the pitch of their voice according to whether they are saying a demand or a question. For example the pitch of your voice goes up when asking a question and goes down or stays even throughout...
Words: 3952 - Pages: 16
...Instrument Effects the Brain Throughout history, many musicians have been born and some have acquired fame through playing musical instruments and creating compositions. Humans have not stopped playing music because of war. Kurt Weill, a German composer active from the 1920s to the end of his life, performed and toured during World War II. Humans continue to bring the art of music to life even when going through hardship –like Ludwig Van Beethoven, who aside from composing the well-known Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata, was completely deaf for the last quarter of his life. It is common-sense knowledge that music is not only for the listeners, it is for the performers as well. Why a musician chooses to play music and why one might desire to listen to music is centred in the human brain. In another words, playing a musical instrument benefits the human brain. This research paper will support this thesis by discussing the brain development of a musical child, how playing music helps retain memory and hearing in aging adults, and lastly, how music relieves stress. Although Mozart may have been a musical prodigy, science now has evidence that any individual can benefit from...
Words: 1384 - Pages: 6
...Music is much more than idle entertainment. It affects the brain in physical ways, altering pathways and stimulating certain areas to grow. Listening to music provides a temporary rise in cognitive IQ levels and learning it actually changes those levels on a more permanent basis. Professional musicians especially show marked differences in physical brain structure and cognitive thought processes. In 1993, a study was done at the University of California, Irvine that showed a temporary improvement of IQ scores when students listened to ten minutes of a Mozart Sonata. The specific area of increased intelligence was spatial-temporal reasoning. This effect has since been dubbed “the Mozart effect” and has encouraged both further study and opposing views (Jones, “Introduction”). More recent and ongoing studies at the M.I.N.D. Institute have shown dramatic math and cognitive enhancements provided by simultaneous musical instruction. The institute implements a side-by-side program of cognition based math games with specialized piano instruction. Students are tested using nationally standardized tests and score an average of 20 percent higher than students not utilizing this type of program. Scores continue to rise the longer the student has been in the program (M.I.N.D. Institute). Spatial-temporal reasoning is highly developed and the music training provides a basis for the students to recognize patterns and symmetry as well as to understand certain mathematical concepts...
Words: 1573 - Pages: 7
...said, "I would teach children music, physics and philosophy: but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning." Frequency, note progression in a scale, rhythms and beats, vibrations, composition, timing, expression, harmonies, tone, orchestration and melody all trigger different learning experiences within the brain. Clinical music therapy can be used as a vital tool, for improving the quality of life in individual's suffering from deficiencies in cognitive, motor, emotional and social behaviors. Music affects many parts of the brain. The auditory cortex disseminates volume, pitch, speed, melody and rhythm. Lyric memory and sounds, along with imagery associated with sounds, and...
Words: 965 - Pages: 4
...worsens over time to eventually eliminate the intellectual abilities of the human brain. Also like cancer, there is no cure; however, there is still hope in creating a better quality of life for these victims through the use of musical therapy....
Words: 1916 - Pages: 8
...The Music Effect Can music really effect mood, behavior, and the way we think? The answer is yes, with a big fat Y! There are certain types or genres of music that affect not just your physicality but your mind as well. There is evidence that it greatly impacts the way we perceive. A mere snippet of a song can trigger memories as vivid as anything. A tune can induce emotions ranging from overwhelming joy to deep sorrow and can drive listeners into a state of frenzy. Music can also kick a long haunting addiction, boost your immune system, even repair brain damage. In this paper we’ll explore how the effects of music on a person can be just as dangerous or therapeutic as some of the worlds most powerful drugs, which can be a scary thought. Lets jump right into things. I believe by now researchers know beyond a reasonable doubt that music and mood are closely interrelated. But, can it really change perception? The way we perceive the world or people? “A new study, which has just been published in Neuroscience Letters, provides both behavioral and physiological evidence that the emotions evoked by music can be transferred to the sense of vision, and can influence how the emotions in facial expressions are perceived.” I can personally relate to this. Music is my escape and I love it more than anything, I would not know what to do without it. Depending on my mood at the time depends on what type of music I listen too. For example, if I am in a good mood I might throw...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
...When Was Music Born? Who was the first father of music? It seems difficult to answer this question. Probably, because of the human demand for making life colorful and diminishing stress, music was discovered and improved from generation to generation. Moreover, music became a part of our lives, and it has a lot of significant impacts on all of us, including myself. Although I neither have a long playlist in my phone nor do I listen to music all the time, I realize that I take advantage of music a lot. Music helps me to improve my concentration and to develop relationships; however, there is a negative impact for me. Personally, listening to music helps me study efficiently by increasing my focus. According to the left-right brain theory, in the article from pychology.about.com, left brain and right brain handle different tasks. While the left side's function is to engage in academic activities such as critical thinking, numbers, reasoning, and math problems; the right side is considered to be in a resting state involved in emotion, arts, imagination, music, and the creative abilities. When we are paying attention to deal with a specific task, only one part of the brain is working, and the other is resting, which easily leads to distraction. For example, whenever I do my math homework, I usually lose my concentration on it just after five or ten minutes by day dreaming. However, if I listen to music while studying I can concentrate better. In this way, music does fill up the...
Words: 879 - Pages: 4
...Lenhart World Lit- 4th period 19 March 2015 Effects of Music Music has the ability to make people feel different emotions. At times, music can make people cry or even angry. On the other hand, it could make a bad mood turn to a good mood and brighten their day. Music has the ability to connect people together and also has the ability to heal you, physically and emotionally. It can heal the brain and sometimes the heart from emotional damage. Often times, music is used in therapy and rehabilitation centers. Music affects your mood and how your brain functions. According to the online dictionary, “music is the art of sound and time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through elements of rhythm melody and color.” An article states that “emotions are more than just something we feel -- they happen in the body, too” (Millar). In fact, the dictionary definition of emotion is, “an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate is experienced.” The places where emotions are felt most commonly are within the heart. Emotions are highly affected by different types of music. What the brain is, is “the part of the central nervous system enclosed in the cranium of humans and other vertebrates, consisting of a soft, convoluted mass of gray and serving to control the mental and physical actions” (Dictionary). This is what allows people to feel, think and function. Different types of music can affect a person’s mind and emotions in different ways....
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
