Sounds of Science: Fact Document
Source for Music as an educational tool:
"Music and the Brain." TLDC. Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center, 2010. Web.
Hachmeister, Jeanette Castro. "Music as a Teaching Tool." Listeningandspokenlanguage.org. Listening and Spoken Language
Knowledge Center, July-Aug. 2010. Web.
Source for Music as a medical or therapeutic device:
AMTA. "What Is Music Therapy?" Musictherapy.org. American Music Therapy Association, n.d. Web.
Merzenich, Karen. "Top 12 Brain-Based Reasons Why Music as Therapy Works." BrainHQ Blog. Postit Science, 22 Apr. 2010. Web.
Source for Music as a mood and quality of life enhancer:
Hughes, Virginia. "Why Does Music Move Us So?" Phenomena. National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
Magar, Prashant. "How Does Music Affect the Brain?" Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 18 July 2013. Web.
Changizi, Mark. "Why Does Music Make Us Feel?" Scientific American Global RSS. Scientificamerican, 15 Sept. 2009. Web.
Source for Synesthesia:
Landau, Elizabeth. "This Is Your Brain on Music." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2013. Web.
"What Is Synesthesia?" Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 11 Sept. 2006. Web.
"Music and the Brain." TLDC. Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center, 2010. Web.
Hachmeister, Jeanette Castro. "Music as a Teaching Tool." Listeningandspokenlanguage.org. Listening and Spoken Language
Knowledge Center, July-Aug. 2010. Web.
Source for Music as a medical or therapeutic device:
AMTA. "What Is Music Therapy?" Musictherapy.org. American Music Therapy Association, n.d. Web.
Merzenich, Karen. "Top 12 Brain-Based Reasons Why Music as Therapy Works." BrainHQ Blog. Postit Science, 22 Apr. 2010. Web.
Source for Music as a mood and quality of life enhancer:
Hughes, Virginia. "Why Does Music Move Us So?" Phenomena. National Geographic, 18 Dec. 2012. Web.
Magar, Prashant. "How Does Music Affect the Brain?" Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 18 July 2013. Web.
Changizi, Mark. "Why Does Music Make Us Feel?" Scientific American Global RSS. Scientificamerican, 15 Sept. 2009. Web.
Source for Synesthesia:
Landau, Elizabeth. "This Is Your Brain on Music." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2013. Web.
"What Is Synesthesia?" Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 11 Sept. 2006. Web.
Questions
How does music work as a tool to educate?
How do those chemicals react to musical stimuli?
What types of medical conditions can music therapy be used for?
How does music work as a tool to educate?
- Music is used in education and learning from a very early age. All humans respond to music, whether they are communicative or not, and using music to teach has proven effective in infants, children, and those with disabilities. Music is used to help teach people and memorize things in an easier way. It is easier for a child to remember facts with a song and tune than by reading a paragraph and being expected to know it all. It has been shown that students who are taught through song learn more and score higher on tests than those that do not. Therefore it can be concluded that music is an effective teaching tool that is essential to successful learning.
- According to the Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center, music is effective in children because “music allows learners to acquire information naturally and presents information as parts and wholes. A song gives students a chance to reduce the information into parts yet work with it as a whole.” Music can break down information in ways that is easier to understand. Similarly, babies learn through music better because it matches words and letters with sounds and tones that are easier to memorize that multiple words being spoken at them that all sound the same.
- Listening to music often makes people reflect a certain emotion, remember things from their past, or contemplate things going on in their life. Music in a main function in our brain, and our body responds to it. For example, listening to quiet music in a spa can soothe and relax the brain, while listening to loud music in a club can hype someone up and make them want to have fun. When people listen to music when they exercise, the music takes their mind off of the pain and struggle, and focus on the music. The heart beats to the same tempo and, in a way, people become connected to the music. The brain also releases dopamine when listening to music, which makes listening to it enjoyable.
- The main chemicals responsible for producing and regulating emotions in the human’s body system are dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine affects processes in the brain that control movement, emotional responses to events, and the ability to experience pleasure and pain. Serotonin is a chemical that affects mood balance, and those with low levels of serotonin are often more likely to experience depression and suicidal tendencies.
How do those chemicals react to musical stimuli?
- When listening to music, dopamine is released, causing us to enjoy the music. Music can then trigger an emotional response, such as happiness or sadness, depending on the music we listen to. People often display different emotions when listening to different types of music. Listening to music has also been proven to increase levels of serotonin, which has a positive influence on a person’s mood. Because of this, music is often used to treat anxiety and other emotional disorders.
- According to the American Music Therapy Association, “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship,”. In music therapy, people with many different types of disorders can be treated by creating music, singing music, dancing to music, or even just listening. Since music affects the brain in different ways, different disorders are treated with different types of music therapy.
What types of medical conditions can music therapy be used for?
- Music therapy is used to address needs such as physical, emotional, cognitive, or social disabilities. Music therapy has proven to be effective in people with autism, alzheimers, and other mental disabilities as well as those with learning disabilities. Music therapy is also used to treat those with anxiety or stress because listening to music releases chemicals that calm and relax patients. Based on the research that I have found, music can be used to treat nearly any condition because it almost always affects people in a positive way. Music tends to make people happy and reduce emotional distress, which is something that most individuals desire.
- Music enhances mood by releasing chemicals that trigger positive emotions and increase the levels of serotonin (which puts people in a better mood). When people are happier, their quality of life increases because they have a more positive outlook on life. Music can bring people together, and people can connect with music. Across the globe, music is something that everyone has in common, and throughout history, music has always been prevalent. When people listen to music, they are motivated, and they are often in a better mood and are able to access true emotions. I believe that music can bring together and enhance people’s quality of life because of the effect it has on every single one of us.
- Synesthesia is the production of a sense that relates one of the body’s senses to another. For example, people can relate sounds to colors, stating that a color reminds them of a sound, or vice versa. In relation to music, people listening to music can often be reminded of old memories, and therefore relate sound to a certain feeling or color.