Does Music Make You Smarter
Does Music Make You Smarter?
Rameka Sahadeo
University of Missouri-Kansas City
American music education is at a turning point in its history, and poised for a modern renaissance. After decades of budgetary neglect as an "elective," music is reasserting itself thanks to a growing body of scientific data that shows how vital it is to a student's success in all academic areas. Research is showing that music isn't only a social trend; it also has a biological and neurological basis. It is said that music is hard-wired into human brains and that it has existed from the early days of humankind, possibly even predating language. Current research, together with expanding knowledge about music's role and influence on cognitive development, learning, …show more content…
"Such evidence suggests that music is a consequence of biological evolution and is therefore associated with specific brain architecture. Music can evidently trigger physical changes in the brain's wiring. By measuring faint magnetic fields emitted by the brains of professional musicians, has shown that intensive practice of an instrument leads to discernible enlargement of parts of the cerebral cortex, the layer of gray matter most closely associated with higher brain function" (Lemonick 2003).
In 2001 scientists from North America and the United Kingdom gathered to discuss the "Musical Brain" (i.e.: the relationship between music and brain function). At the conference, researchers presented the increasing evidence that music is not merely a cultural trend but a biological fact of human life. "As demonstrated by infants who are too young for even informal music training, yet distinguish consonance from dissonance and recognize tunes even when their timing or pitch has been altered" (Doughty …show more content…
Music clearly involves the pattern development concept, as does spatial-temporal reasoning: the ability to create, maintain, transform, and relate complex mental images even in the absence of external sensory input or feedback" (Grandin 1998).
Recent studies have shown that advanced cognitive abilities are present in infants and children as young as five months. This shows that when stimulated, the brain starts to recognize the "pattern development" at a very early age, increasing spatial-temporal reasoning skills. All of this translates to the fact that children that are exposed to music education are predisposed to have higher brain function; allowing higher test scores in spatial-temporal reasoning. "Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation score higher on the SAT. In a study, students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation" (Burack
Rameka Sahadeo
University of Missouri-Kansas City
American music education is at a turning point in its history, and poised for a modern renaissance. After decades of budgetary neglect as an "elective," music is reasserting itself thanks to a growing body of scientific data that shows how vital it is to a student's success in all academic areas. Research is showing that music isn't only a social trend; it also has a biological and neurological basis. It is said that music is hard-wired into human brains and that it has existed from the early days of humankind, possibly even predating language. Current research, together with expanding knowledge about music's role and influence on cognitive development, learning, …show more content…
"Such evidence suggests that music is a consequence of biological evolution and is therefore associated with specific brain architecture. Music can evidently trigger physical changes in the brain's wiring. By measuring faint magnetic fields emitted by the brains of professional musicians, has shown that intensive practice of an instrument leads to discernible enlargement of parts of the cerebral cortex, the layer of gray matter most closely associated with higher brain function" (Lemonick 2003).
In 2001 scientists from North America and the United Kingdom gathered to discuss the "Musical Brain" (i.e.: the relationship between music and brain function). At the conference, researchers presented the increasing evidence that music is not merely a cultural trend but a biological fact of human life. "As demonstrated by infants who are too young for even informal music training, yet distinguish consonance from dissonance and recognize tunes even when their timing or pitch has been altered" (Doughty …show more content…
Music clearly involves the pattern development concept, as does spatial-temporal reasoning: the ability to create, maintain, transform, and relate complex mental images even in the absence of external sensory input or feedback" (Grandin 1998).
Recent studies have shown that advanced cognitive abilities are present in infants and children as young as five months. This shows that when stimulated, the brain starts to recognize the "pattern development" at a very early age, increasing spatial-temporal reasoning skills. All of this translates to the fact that children that are exposed to music education are predisposed to have higher brain function; allowing higher test scores in spatial-temporal reasoning. "Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation score higher on the SAT. In a study, students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation" (Burack