Music and It's Effect on the Brain

Music and its Effect on the Brain

Christy M. Villarreal

ENG 101

Jennifer Kubach

September 02, 2010

Music and its Effect on the Brain

Music is around everywhere people go. Music is found on TV, radio, and mp3 players but is also found in schools, recitals, and hospitals. It just does not make people move and groove, but it affects the brain, too. Music affects the brain by the way children learn everyday things, study music, and therapy for the sick or disabled.

One of the first songs children learn to sing is the ABCs. Children learn the letter of the alphabet to a rhythm before they ever know what the letters mean. The rhyming pattern of words with music is engaging and motivating. Music and language both have structure and rules so it is easy to follow and learn new words. “With music children can learn to play with rhythm and melody, think creatively, and most important, to listen” (Wright, nd, Para. 2). Giving children the opportunity to learn to music is helping more parts of the brain to be active.

To see if there is a connection between music, learning and the brain a program was set up called ‘Music and the Brain’(MATB) to link cognitive ability and music instruction. MATB studied the effects on students in multiple areas including, reading, spelling, math, attention, and ESL (Music and the Brain, 2008). MATB set up two groups of children mixed of ESL and non ESL children, one group was the experimental with MATB lessons, and the other was controlled and taught language art lessons. The experimental group was taught with singing, rhythmic activities, movement, and keyboard play (2008). The controlled group was taught by drawing pictures, puppets, and other crafts to tell a story (2008). “The results showed statistically favoring the experimental children on standardized tests; in calculation, reading and spelling (Music and the Brain, 2008). The study shows that music and language have effect on one another....