Early music experiences may impart a lifelong neuroplasticity that boosts cognition, experts say.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news.When Amy Richter was a little girl, her father often traveled for work. He often came home bearing gifts of music and record albums. They bonded while poring over all that vinyl, she recalls, exploring the world of music from classical and rock to bluegrass.
To be sure, aficionados of the arts have long argued that art transforms us, but in recent years, neuroscience has shown just how music can shape the architecture of the brain. This cognitive research illuminates the connection between music and learning and gives heft to longstanding arguments for the power of music education that are newly relevant in the wake of California’s Proposition 28, which sets aside money for arts education in schools.
While we live in a visually oriented world, our brains are fundamentally wired for sound, she argues. Reading, for example, is a relatively new phenomenon in human history, while listening keenly for a sound, say a predator, is a primal impulse deeply embedded in the brain. Put simply, what we hear shapes who we are.
Music pricks up our hearts and minds, as well as our ears. Children must persevere to master a piece of music and collaborate to perform it in the spotlight. They must learn focus, patience and grace under pressure. That kind of electrifying shared experience, working as a community, is something new to many of them, experts say.
“Music connects us, and it connects us in a way that hardly anything I know does, so it’s very, very important,” said Kraus. “We live in a very disconnected world. Depression, anxiety, alienation, the inability to focus, all of that is on the rise. Intolerance is on the rise. Music is a way to bring us together.”is an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Binance CEO: Crypto industry has shifted from ‘early adopters’ to ‘early majority’Binance CEO Richard Teng says the cryptocurrency industry has reached the 'early majority' phase, having exited from the 'early adopter' phase.
Read more »
Strawberry season started early, will end early thanks to unusually warm springStrawberry season is about two weeks early in Northeast Ohio. Local berries will be gone sooner this year.
Read more »
Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD hovers around $2,330 as demand for the USD recedesSpot Gold trades near $2,330 a troy ounce, with XAU/USD trimming early early losses.
Read more »
A ketamine pill may help hard-to-treat depression with fewer side effects, early research suggestsA new ketamine pill may help hard-to-treat depression with fewer side effects than other forms of the treatment, early research suggests.
Read more »
Some Players Are Getting the Jack Sparrow Fortnite Skin EarlyEpic Games pulled the Fortnite Jack Sparrow skin after accidentally releasing it early, though some players are still managing to get it.
Read more »
Woman at Pittsburgh hospital becomes first to receive vaccine for early-stage breast cancerThe vaccine, given in three doses, was developed over decades of research by doctors at UPMC.
Read more »