Music On The Brain

Hello everyone, I recently had to write an argumentative essay for my English 1020 class on a topic of our choice and I chose to do it on the effects that music has on our brains. I had a hard time narrowing down my choices of which type of music to go with and ended up choosing classical music. Why choose classical music instead of one that’s more exciting or popular? I believe that classical music has been perceived in a negative light for quite some time since it was originally created to entertain royalty and those of the upper class for many generations. It is only within the past few decades that classical music has become music more for the public than those with wealth and status. Up and coming musicians are writing their music with influences from classical music. For those of us that enjoy music, we tend to lose ourselves in that moment of listening to the music that we love. We also don’t really pay attention to the health benefits of listening to music, specifically classical music. There are some health issues that classical music can help with such as calming someone who is under a lot of stress, memory loss, improving cognitive function in the brain, lower blood pressure as well as many others. According to Dr. Michael Thaut, “The use of music in therapy for the brain has evolved rapidly as brain-imaging techniques have revealed the brain’s plasticity—its ability to change—and have identified networks that music activates. Armed with this growing knowledge, doctors and researchers are employing music to retrain the injured brain. Studies by the authors and other researchers have revealed that because music and motor control share circuits, music can improve movement in patients who have suffered a stroke or who have Parkinson’s disease. Research has shown that neurologic music therapy can also help patients with language or cognitive difficulties, and the authors suggest that these techniques should become a part of rehabilitative care. Future findings may well indicate that music should be included on the list of therapies for a host of other disorders as well” (Thaut).

                As referenced in the video above, music can also help those who have suffered injuries to the brain or have a debilitating disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Music has so many healing qualities that are still being explored. It’s a wonder why we don’t appreciate music as much as we should. Hearing stories about how music affects us can sometimes seem unrealistic, but the realm of possibilities is endless when it comes to science and music. One of my favorite quotes regarding music comes from a movie called “August Rush” where it tells the story of a young prodigy in search of his family. At the end of the film, the young boy August claimed that “Music is all around us. All you have to do is listen.” This film is one of many that illustrates the effects that music has on our lives. We listen to music in our daily lives no matter what we do or where we live. Classical music in particular has experienced a resurgence in the past few decades. Many up and coming musicians are actually influenced by classical music without even realizing it. From tempo, flow, or using certain chords every style of music has been influenced by classical music in some way. As we continue learn about how music affects us, there is still so much more that we don’t know. We hope that there are breakthroughs in the future that might help explain why we are so affected by music and how we can improve our lives through music. I challenge readers to go out and find new music and continue to challenge perceptions about music.