GRAY MATTER
Why Music Makes Our Brain Sing
By ROBERT J. ZATORRE and VALORIE N. SALIMPOOR
Published: June 7, 2013
Artist: Baptiste Alchourroun
Robert J. Zatorre is a professor of neuroscience at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University. Valorie N. Salimpoor is a postdoctoral neuroscientist at the Baycrest Health Sciences’ Rotman Research Institute in Toronto.
Why Music, Part 2B -- Music and the Brain: Rhythm and Playing
by Frank Fitzpatrick
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything." -- Plato
The Musician's Brain
New developments in neuroscience and technology such as FMRI, are unveiling new discoveries every week and reaffirming theories that many scientists, philosophers and musicologists have held for centuries. It appears that highly trained and proficient musicians, especially those that started training as children, may even have different brain structures than the rest of us.[1] Recent studies show that long-term musical training and expert level performance are associated with enhanced features of the brain's actual anatomy in both auditory and motor regions.
Music Can Heal
It is especially inspiring that the insights gained from scientists and doctors studying these processes are being applied to groundbreaking treatments for people suffering from autism, ADHD and Parkinson's disease, as well as being used to help with stroke rehab and other learning disorders.[1]
Whether you are a professional musician or a beginner, a therapist or a parent, it is important to realize that playing music can engage more areas of the human brain than any other known human activity.[5] In addition to acting as a mega-vitamin for a healthier brain, playing music can enhance your and your loved ones' overall well being and quality of ullife.
Benefits of Playing Music
The benefits of playing music could fill several books, but here are a few key points that might encourage you to dust off that favorite old instrument and enjoy a little time communing with music, to support music education programs -- starting with ones for your own children, or to begin taking those lessons you have been promising yourself for years.
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