This is the third of our instructor-led online discussions for Mu 101 (Fall 2019). Refer to the handout you received the first day of class (click on this highlighted text to go to that page our class website) which describes the amount and kinds of contributions you’re expected to make to these online discussions — they’re all the same parameters of good conversation that happens offline, too!

The most effective comments in an online forum are short — think about how you skim past others’ comments if they’re more than a couple lines long instead of engaging closely with that person’s ideas! If everyone involved in these weekly conversations only posts a single long comment, it won’t be a conversation, and we won’t all benefit from opportunity to learn from each other. Rather than dropping in on the blog once during the week and adding a single long comment, think of this forum as an opportunity to have a conversation with your fellow classmates. A conversation, whether online or in person, involves back-and-forth contributions from everyone involved: adding something new based on your own experiences or ideas, asking questions, responding to the ideas of others. The best way to get the most out of this learning experience is to share your single best idea, give room for others to respond, and then build on each others’ contributions later in the week.

The reading time of this post is approximately 3 minutes, not including links to additional materials.

A very good place to start

We’re starting by thinking about thinking—how does music affect how people think?

Every activity, experience, and piece of information you come across in your life changes your brain. The brain is a system of neurons and synapses that constantly rewires itself to adapt to your life. The more often you do something (like recall a piece of information or perform an activity), the better your brain gets at accessing and doing it. This is why studying a little bit every day is effective: you’re reinforcing your brain’s ability to recall or associate bits of information. And, this is also why habits can be hard to break—you train your brain to do something by doing it over and over—and unlearning a habit requires both making totally new connections between different parts of your brain and also forgetting old ones.

There are a couple of good books on this subject if you want to keep reading:

brain music 3

So, what does this have to do with music?

Making music changes your brain in ways that other activities don’t. Learning to play a musical instrument can be a great benefit to the brain: its development, improved long-term memory, language skills, faster reaction times. A lot of research in this field specifically studies the effect of musical study on young children (and here and here), but the effects are true at all stages of life—it’s never too late!

Below is a short (5′) TedTalk that scratches the surface of this idea by showing the many mental processes and parts of the brain that are engaged when someone plays a musical instrument.

Singing affects the brain in fascinating ways, too!

Listening—the task of Mu 101

Special things happen to our brains—and our bodies!—when we listen to music, too.

“Physiology” (pronounced fizzy-all-oh-gee) is the study of how our bodies normally function: how our cells, biochemicals, and bodily systems all work together, react to the world around us, and keep us alive.

Physiology comes into play with music when we start thinking about how our bodies react to music: things happen when we like the sounds we’re hearing (our eyes dilate, our pulse changes, our body releases dopamine)—we have a physiological reaction to the music that’s involuntary, exciting, sometimes unexpected, and often enjoyable. Our bodies’ reactions help us understand if we want to hear something again (even if we don’t directly say to ourselves, “Wow, my cerebellum became quite active during that song; I’d better listen to it again!”) because we enjoy the way they feel, and we know that listening to music might be one of the only ways to feel those particular (enjoyable) feelings again.

Below is a link to a short (19′) video presentation given by musician/researcher Deanna Choi at TEDxQueensU in 2012 (Canada) that explains what happens to our bodies when we listen to music. You might be a person that learns more easily from reading than listening, or if you may be interested in reading another short, accessible introduction to the study of music and physiology, so I’m including a link to one here. There are hundreds of similar articles out there—this has been a popular topic of research for the last several decades.

Final thoughts

Engaging with the materials of this class (and every class you take!) will change who you are—by changing how you think and listen, reinforcing new neural pathways in your brain, and helping you acquire new skills that will give you something to build upon, a bundle of neurons ready to link to whatever skills and information you encounter in the future. What a way to start the semester!

-Dr. J.

129 thoughts on “Music and the brain (Online discussion Sep 16-22)”

  1. hello everyone, i guess i ll break the ice today. i have not seen any post thus far. this week’s online discussion it pretty interesting. i have alway assumed that music has some type of influence in people’s behavior all these years. after reading a few articles and watching the Youtube links, i m now convinced that music in religion, triggers chemicals that causes people like may aunt to be hypnotized by the songs routinely played and sang in church every Saturday. i guessed chemical that induced happiness and joy overwhelmed and took over her brain. with eyes closed hand up in the air, her and her and other church members often escapes reality and enters a world of complete physical satisfaction. as a result, the church gets lots of money in these baskets. Even the elders, the 80 an 90 years old church members are able to stand and rejoice as the musicians serves as fuel that ignites people’s brain continuously. i think that religion is control, religion is “brain wash” literally. Remember, that is just an opinion, not a conclusive statement. with that being said, i can argue that music is used in religion for that simple fact. Think about it. Every where music is played, in the church, the club or in concerts, people seemed to relax and disconnect with everyday stress. Music and the brain, such a powerful and complex interaction. i wonder, can music improve stroke patients? let us discuss.

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    1. I do agree on religion being used as a tool to control the masses. But I also understand it, because I think people need something to believe in. Especially for people who struggle. What else is there to do buy believe in something bigger than all of us?

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      1. it is all nurture, you have adopted to a routine, not religion choice is not innate, it is given to you by your parents or guardians. ever-since christianity came about, music in religion was the way they operate. why? music has great influence in our psychological behavior.

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      2. This is definitely true. I believe religion was created to be a form of order before they created law and civilization. For some people, they need to believe in something spiritually to have a greater purpose in life.

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      1. I agree! it can also trigger softer feelings like nostalgia (like listening to an old song) or maybe even a confidence booster (i like to listen to upbeat music in the gym)

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      3. I agree with mswaby. Music is definitely a stimulant. It helps the brain to relax depending on the type of music. For example R&B calms me down and puts me in a relaxing mood. Where Rap Music gets me going because I get energy from it. Its what I listen to when I wanna get going and feel strong energy.

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        1. Agreed, With music I often find songs which relate to my current moods and it honestly helps relieve the stress I am feeling that day during my walks of thinking.

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      4. Music can also definitely be a depressant as well. The adverse effect caused by music vary greatly on the nature of the music and you.

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    3. i agree with the part where you say religious music triggers chemical reaction which makes one feel good. it does not matter if i am listening to my religious music or music of someone else’s religion, i do get similar feeling and that feeling do clear my mind and give me more positive vibes.

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    5. I believe that music does have a huge impact on the body overall. for myself, I find that when I listen to music it changes my emotions along with every song. Not only just a sad song will make me feel sad but, the melody and lyrics I believe is what really triggers the emotion, because that’s what closely relates to your memories.

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    6. I completely agree, especially when it comes to religious music. While in church myself, I’ve witnessed how the effects of the loud drums, piano playing, and loud singing can make you feel energized and excited to praise the lord.

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      1. there’s all kinds of religious music being played out in the world, depending on the music reflects different moods and behavior with how people react or should react.

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    7. That’s an interesting theory! While there are several reasons music is used in religion, I think it is worth noting that music became more relevant in early western civilization after it was paired with religion. Almost all the surviving pieces of music from early human civilization is based around religion. It is possible that people who were drawn in by the pleasant musical sounds came to associate them with the teachings of the corresponding religion.

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  2. That is an interesting point. I will have to disagree. If religious music was truly able to hypnotize or control people, why would it work on some and not others? I think music in religion is just a tool to help people connect with the messages they are receiving.

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    1. I think when you dissect the lyrical content in religious music, which is deprived and tangled in many different believes and concepts, it can provide a base for an argument like mymu101’s above. Like, I noticed that christian sacred text and songs are quick to say “one god.” But as far as instrumentation – I don’t see how it controls people. Though, I’ve heard conspiracy theories on how there’s a controlling system behind frequency, how it impacts people, and how it is being used to control people. I don’t know, but at this point, I don’t think there’d be widespread appreciation and glorifying of religion without music. If we take away music from religion, what’s left? Scripture? You can read scripture until you turn blue, but most people don’t feel it unless it is in song form.

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      1. i think instrumentation is not control, but the ability that it has to promote the release of hormones that created a sense of empathy or acceptance. Often people listen to music to escape stress and issue in life.

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        3. I agree with mymu101. A lot of people do use music as a tool to escape stress or an issue. I also believe that it might not be just that reason, music can be used as a tool for a happy place as well.

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        4. I’m not sure if its appropriate to call it “control” as much as it would be to call it “encouragement”. You can completely overlook and ignore music or you could let it encourage you and this is the tool that religion uses. It’s just like advertising products, it doesn’t work for everybody but it does work quite well.

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    2. i agree but that is why music has always been there. therefore, if you are a regular in the church, you will eventually be captured and obedient to its doctrines.

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      2. You can break out of said doctrines though, and I say this as someone who grew up in a religious household, as well as a religious private school, but decided to stop following religion since I got sick of it.

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    3. I totally agree with you! the primary purpose of music in religion is not to “hypnotize” people on purpose, but do you think that it could possibly have that effect on certain people who are more susceptible to manipulation ? Especially thousands of years ago when people in lower classes were less educated and we knew so much less about the world than we do now?

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  3. This is interesting stuff to process. Based off my experience, after taking chorus, choir, piano and vocal technique classes I definitely felt a change in my brain. I feel the high. Something tingles most when I’ve committed 10-15 hours a week for a few weeks for a live performance. I guess I now have the langauge to better understand it because of this post. I think I learned embrace knowledge better because of music. I think i’ve gotten better at understanding readings because of how music has shaped me. I learned about posture, technique, structure, and discipline; qualities that were foreign to me due to my upbringing, which I attach to ethnicity, opportunity and socioeconomic.

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    2. I have to say that I relate to what you said about music helping you to get better at understanding readings and not only that, I also feel that since I started to get more involved with music, especially writing lyrics and practice singing, the creative part in my brain, more especifically in writing has improved and although I still have to get better at expressing my emotions when singing, now I can tell when someone delivers something with emotion rather than just doing it as mere task.

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  4. This is interesting stuff to process. Based off my experience, after taking chorus, choir, piano and vocal technique classes I definitely felt a change in my brain. I feel the high. Something tingles most when I’ve committed 10-15 hours a week for a few weeks for a live performance. I guess I now have the langauge to better understand it because of this post. I think I learned how to embrace knowledge and information better because of music. I think i’ve gotten better at understanding readings because of how music has shaped me. I learned about posture, technique, structure, and discipline; qualities that were foreign to me due to my upbringing, which I attach to ethnicity, opportunity and socioeconomics.

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  5. I think a good way to see how music affects our brain is to look at a study technique that students do for many subjects: setting information to song. We know that music affects our brains because it enhances our ability to remember things. That’s why it’s much easier to remember songs than, say, essays.

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    1. Are you suggesting that we start singing our notes and try to remember class information by singing? If yes, i think that is not a bad idea. we should spend one week in class trying to experiment with that idea. Cool thoughts.

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    2. Have you heard of this little children’s song called Finger Family? It’s so easy to learn and remember that it could get stuck in your head. It goes, “Mommy finger mommy finger where are you? Here I am here I am how do you do” and then repeats for “Daddy finger” and so on.

      I never understood why remembering songs like that were simple, but remembering information in a book was hard, like when studying for a test. Maybe this explains why perfectly, or maybe most of us just learn better in terms of song or something. It’s hard to fully understand.

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  6. guys if i don’t reply right-way, it’s because i ‘m at work and trying my best to discuss at the same time ok?

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  7. I concur with hschwartz98. Putting things in musical structure unquestionably causes you to recollect things better. The main thing I remember from fourth grade is a melody the instructor used to show us of the Old Testament in the Bible. I think this is a testament to the power of music and how it can make memories meaningful enough to remember years later.

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    1. I totally agree! I still sing school house rock songs in my head when I’m doing multiplication tables, remembering parts of speech, and even historical events. I know the whole preamble to the constitution because school house rock made it into a catchy, easy to remember tune!

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  8. Music has really cause a big difference in my life in general. Since I was young I loved to dance with music on and just follow the beat. Music is helps me relax. I would be cleaning my house with music on. It helps to clean much better and actually take my time with it. When I’m cooking I love to play music everywhere I go or doing. But one I know for sure when I’m doing homework or studying I can’t have music because I be just focus on music instead of doing homework or studying. I’m not sure why I can’t do that when I can do everything else with music. I think my brain can’t really multiple task.

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    1. just imagine that the homework or the lessons were musical passage. Remember when we were kids, we learned our ABC’s with songs. Most of the kids channels have music as the way of teaching the very young to remember things. think about it. you can actually multi task if you use music the right way i guess.

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      1. Imagine music was used more within the educational system. If the benefits on cognitive function can really come from music then I believe it should be utilized more often.

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      1. Yes Christen I agree. Music makes me want to actually clean my house. When I don’t listen to it while I clean, the less I really want too.

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    3. @jacklynwu94 I understand you. I love and enjoy listening to music when I am doing certain activities, but, when I need to focus, It starts to bother me. We have fun when we are accompanied by music, so I strongly consider music a “booster” more than anything else. That is why music is welcomed when we are cleaning, cooking, or driving. These activities might be found annoying, (I do not enjoy cleaning) but they are entertaining when accompanying them with a good song. Also, when I am driving and there is traffic, I usually do not get stressed because I love to play some music during it, so, instead of feeling frustrated, I want to stay as long as it is possible in the traffic. I feel like the music distracts us from what we are doing, so it makes those tasks more toreable. On the other hand, it is impossible for me to listen to music during studying time. The first video on this blog talks about how playing an instrument stimulates the brain, it creates a fireworks’ party. I think that is the reason for our lack of focusing when we listen to music. Even though we are not playing the song, It might activate all those regions on our brains, so we cannot longer study.

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  9. Music is very powerful tool. The lady from TED talk, played violin music for her grandma when she was in coma it is very shocking to me that her grandma responded to the music. i feel like all the music is coming straight from the god.

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    2. Also, remember Vergin Mary. The interscessor. She had appeared in may medieval Chants According to the reading assignment. The mother of Jesus the savior of all man kind. Music, Chants, Vergin Mary, yes a gift from God.

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    1. i started watching the video and a few minute into it, i felt that the music was trying to take somewhere. i was not sure, i closed my eyes and i started imagining my self as being in traveling vessel. i had to stop. i think my subconscious was getting out too fast. Very effexctive stuff, very scary to me. Music is so powerful.

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      2. Have you heard of something called a skin orgasm? It’s when you get a pins-and-needles-like effect when you hear a certain part of a certain song that is really good to you.

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        1. Lol, I haven’t heard it called that, but I have heard of ASMR! (Autonomous sensory meridian response) it’s super popular on YouTube right now! Basically people will make different sounds like tapping, whispering etc that will cause a tingling sensation in your brain that people really enjoy. Not exactly music, but music can definitely give you the chills/ tingles too! Its the same concept/process

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  11. In my opinion, music can affect our brain because we allowed it to flow inside our mind. Our emotions pick up the music, then, they let out feeling to run inside the brain. This is the most basic thing I can say.
    Now, if talk religion here, the musics Christians play are for worshiping God. They are not just to lift our spirits up, singing how good He is, but they are for praising God for being in our life.

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  12. The professor asked me a really good question on the first day of class. I told her about my history of insomnia and how I had tried every thing in the book to bring on the sensation of sleep (like melatonin, chamomile teas, etc) and how when I was recommended a playlist called “watch the waves” and “lullaby for insomniacs” that I was able to calm my mind/body enough to lull me to sleep. Her question was “does the sounds of nature and ocean waves qualify as music? what makes anything qualify as music?”

    I genuinely want to know you guys’ thoughts on it. To me, I think any sounds that trigger a sensation in the body counts as music. But feel free to disagree

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    1. I suppose any pleasant sound that you like would qualify as music since there isn’t any official objective definition of music that everybody agrees on anyways.

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    2. I personally wouldn’t define natural sounds as music. To me the word music implies some kind of element of creation. Rain on a rooftop, oceans against the surf, and wind through trees, while incredibly beautiful sounds, don’t qualify as music. If someone where able to recreat those sounds, and then arrange them in some intended pattern, then it becomes “music”. That being said, I think everyone will have their own definition, and my interpretation isn’t something I think is concrete.

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    3. I think music can be really any sound at all, you can make as simple as a texting keyboard into a distant beat and create additional sounds to go along with, or as when we were kids clapping and gradually everyone gets into sync creating the “rock you” beat.

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    4. Besides listening to calming sounds you could also use your sense of smell and test out aromatherapy. It apparently works very well and is a practice that has been used for hundreds of years. I hear the scent of lavender is great for sleep and anxiety.

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  13. Music can stimulate our brain in many ways, there are different types of songs for the different emotions you feel and this can affect our brain to make us feel a certain way while listening to songs making us sad or happy.

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    1. I agree , music builds a connection with the mental and physical motions of the body. For example, when i am feeling sad if i listen to specific R&B songs i can relate to the lyrics and the beat , melody , etc takes over the brain which can cause me to be deeply in tune that i express sadness through crying.

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        1. I def agree. I was never even a fan of classical music until I found beethoven’s adelaid op. 46 and im gonna be honest, it was so beautiful that i teared up a little

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    2. I agree with @victorcai622 music can change our mood accordingly to the songs we listen to. Whenever we listen to a piece of music, we always pay attention to the rhythm or the style of the music. That’s when our emotions sink into the music and we start to have different types of thoughts. For instance, if we are listening to a Christian music, we tend to calm our minds to be in the holy presence of god. Likewise, if its a sad song, we tend to think about our sadness and just get carried away because of how strong the music can connect with us and our mind.

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  14. The focal point of Music and the brain is that once it is received by the neurons in the brain it activates multiple areas. The activation sends dopamine through the body which leaves a good feeling. Music helps enhances memory in the brain. Singing is a form of therapy. Multiple parts of listening connect together in order to have the networks function. The networks motor , Auditory , listening , planning , memory, language , emotional , social bonding, and empathy. The final network is the Reward when singing. All the networks link together to explain how music is digested into the body transferred to brain. Music is protective and nero protective to help mental health benefits. Science plays a major part in the explanation of how music makes us feel the way that we do. For example, the pupils dilate after the emotion cause by the change in music. The chemicals released in the brain relieve tension. The brain is a muscle and the more it is use the stronger it becomes. The brain will continue to be active even when one cannot speak.

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  15. As a daily living I listen to music which i do not see myself ever giving up. In the mornings , it is hard for me to get up so i listen to music that is upbeat in genres R&B and pop. The feeling that i receive is like the music makes my emotions change depending on the genre. For example , In the evening if i attend a club i like the loud music and high energy that is given off of my friends around me. I feel as if I’m in euphoria.

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  16. I feel that music has a large impact on the way we think and the mood we set ourselves in. I listen to all types of music depending on how I feel. Emotions can play a huge part and that can change with a soft song or a Pop song.

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    1. That would explain why, in drama films, different music is played based on different situations. For example, an action scene would have some crazy action music in the background to associate with the scene.

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  17. I play different kinds of music depending on the mood that I’m in. For instance, if I’m feeling happy, then I play some happy music. If I feel nervous, I play some scary music, and so on. It makes certain situations more interesting and engaging, even when I’m alone.

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  18. Music affects how fast a person drives. If it’s upbeat or calm. Rock might make somebody drive fast n reckless because they might sing a song about being reckless and getting wasted.

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    2. I have a friend who listens to music from the show Initial D when he’s driving to class in the morning in order to keep himself from falling asleep. Initial D has really loud Eurobeat, and the show it’s from is about illegal street racing, so we always joke about it.

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    3. I totally agree with you 100% on music affects how fast a person drives from personal experience. Once my friend started to drift and drive really fast just because Chief Keef started to play. Just a few minutes before when J Cole was playing he was driving perfectly fine. Music has a major affect on a persons action and certain type of music affects people differently.

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    4. This is very true. I have to be really really careful when a song I really love comes on while I’m driving. I tend to speed up and not pay attention to how fast I’m going when an upbeat song is on.

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    1. I’m not sure different types of music even exist. It’s all just… music. They have different instruments, different things and whatnot, but at the end of the day, it’s still music.

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      1. There are different genres of music for a reason. They each have different histories, cultural impacts, and more. I wouldn’t promote a “music is music” ideology. That, to me, is a complete disregard of different types of music across the globe and throughout history.

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  20. For me music is therapy I have to listen to music driving ,study and exercising. The music I listen to have to be loud and aggressive. I think music helps define our personality traits I am a living example. Does any agree to this or can relate?

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    1. I agree with the idea that music defines a persons personality. From personal experience people who I’ve met that listen to a lot of rap music tend to be more social then people I’ve met who listen to hardcore rock music or country. This is something I’ve noticed and I wonder have you guys realized this too?

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    2. I can definitely relate to this. Depending on what I am doing I listen to different music. For example when I am lifting weights I love listening to Sade. Even when I am doing cardio I listen to rock or hip hop. As far as defines our personality traits I’m not too sure. I mean I could listen to love songs all the time and it doesn’t making me a extremely loving person. It’s just what I enjoy listening to at the moment.

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  21. I definitely agree with music defining ones personality traits. Coming from different parts of the world you are exposed to different genres during your upbringing which can carry through out in your older years. For myself a lot of cultural music stimulates my mom cleaning early on Saturday morning while playing her music as my sister and I are walking up to it. Although I was exposed to a lot more within my years of growth, that specific genre I heard every Saturday will always be apart of who I am and often times when I need comfort I find myself back to that genre.

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    1. @aljglaze I can relate to waking up to music and knowing that it’s time for chores . I have noticed this all my life that when the radio starts playing on a Saturday morning it’s time to stretch and get moving for the weekend clean up so I would say music leads a person to do his or her chores .

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  22. Shara-Tuesday—-12:10
    I’m learning from everyone reading these comments and I’m somewhat the same. I listen different types of music and some times I sing lyrics that I wouldn’t want to apply to my life which makes me think on those things after singing and going back to a mode where I can’t relate to what I was saying . Additionally, I find myself listening to gospel songs when I’m stressed or just having a bad day and sometimes I ask myself why don’t I listen to these motivational songs on a good day?

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  23. With all this new information it has really left me in excitement. Just to know that music offers exercise for the brain in a sense, opens a whole new world for me. It definitely makes sense now why I am able to know multiple songs word for word continuously compared to knowing my books the way I should or why it is easier to retain lyrics compared to textbook material. Music keeps the brain from stiffening up like being done with school but choosing to keep going (taking on extra courses or some sort) just to keep your brain working rather than allowing it to relax more and more which could possibly result in lessening your brains ability to absorb. All types of music benefits the brain given the fact that it strengths the functions and muscles in the brain, in a fun way.

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  24. I do think music can help stroke patients. This isn’t something I’m sure of but I do think if someone can hold and squeeze even a stress ball to a beat it will go a far way. I had done community service in a physiotherapist office and the color along with the music that is played in this environment goes a far way . It soothes the mind and actually help the patients to focus not on the pain they are feeling but the good times they had before the unbearable situations they are in . Therefore if a stroke patient is able to recognize the beat I think it will help them to try and sing which will enhance the muscles in their face or just to try and snap or tap a surface which will help the muscles to function a little more efficiently .

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  25. I most likely contributed to some kind of study on this effect. When I was a young child, I used to go to Queens College every 6 months or so and get an MRI while doing random activities. Sometimes they’d have me listening to music, watching movies, or doing simple puzzles. It’s incredibly interesting to think about how complex the brain is. How can we comprehend and break down a organ that’s capable of pondering philosophical questions? It’s like trying to understand a computer that can ask questions that you can’t fathom. I have no idea if we’ll ever truly understand our own brains, but I think if we ever do, we will have reached a level of understanding that we can’t imagine right now.

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  27. I agree with you that music does affect our brain because we allow it to flow into brain. Often times when we are listening to music and we get chills. This is caused due to the brain releasing dopamine and honestly it’s really crazy how music can do such things to the brain.

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  28. As I was reading in the blog about physiology and how our bodies react to music, I was reminded of the article we read of ‘Why Do Some People Love Sad Music?’ from our roundtable discussion and how it mentions that “sad music actually depends and amplifies the feeling of sorrow and loss…” which indicates that not only playing an instruments causes a reaction on our brain such as the visual, auditory and motor parts as well as memory but also listening to certain types of music also activates part of the brain that connects emotions and memories together. In the linked article bellow, Natalie Zarreli explains how horror films such as the Shinning relies on music as a way to cause a reaction on the brain which plays with human emotions allowing composers to use musical instruments as a medium to induce fear and tension.
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-the-hidden-sounds-of-horror-movie-soundtracks-freak-you-out.amp

    What do you think about using music or playing an instrument as a form of therapy to help those suffering from Alzheimer or amnesia?

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    1. I think using music or playing an instrument as a form of therapy to help people who suffer from Alzheimer or amnesia is a great method because. I’ve read an article that stated music therapy is great due to it helping people stimulate remote memory and helping individuals reduce confusion of their surroundings. Another reason why I believe music is a great therapy tool is because it helps them manage their pain and discomfort. Music can help reduce stress and anxiety and often times when listening to a specific song helps the listener tap into their memories to think about a moment involving that song.

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  29. what types of music do you guys listen to? and do you feel that it has an effect on you, emotionally? maybe even physically? More importantly is there any music that has no effect at all on you? Do you even notice if it does or doesn’t?

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    1. Well i feel like there isn’t any type of music that wouldn’t make anyone not feel moved by. It’s all about your preference and if you are wiling to listen to these different kind of music. My preference in music is more indie pop , pop and old school music . It’s not that i don’t like any other genre its just that i am not ready to move on to something new .

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    2. I listen to all types of music, anything that has a organized rhythm, a good melody or a good arrangement. i don’t know why i like everything. some people like a specific genre but i have no preference. i think its if the music can place me else where, away from my immediate environment. i will be ok. For example, A Boogie ” look back at it” https://youtu.be/DmNfT-B7nlA . His music puts me in a space and help me focus.

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      1. Some people like a specific genre just because of their upbringing. You wouldn’t expect a person who grew up around hip-hop to listen to classical music. But I do get what your saying about why you like any genre.

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    3. This is some of the music I listen to soca, soul, reggae, gospel and they all have an effect on me emotionally. I am not sure of any music that may have no effect on me, but if I have to choice I would say classical music.

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  30. Music does definitely bring me to my happy place. There are times where I am at work and the workers their completely strike a nerve and my first thing to do is go to music. So music is definitely my drug of choice when I need to escape the world for a bit. What really shocked me was the fact that studies have shown learning an instrument helps improve long term memory and such. That honestly does reinforce my motivation to put my son into a music class. Would anyone have suggestions on any good music schools that I can put him in on the weekend?

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    1. Hi Sancedgar I was shock too, and amazed of how music can improve long term memory. I personally need something to help me improve my long term memory. If I do find any information on a good music school I will pass it on to you.

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  31. I see what physiology research is going on by saying how our bodies react to music and i can agree with this study. Music is changing everyday and it’s all depends on who is making it and what their living situation is , and most likely what they dealt with . My question is with all the music out there , do you think music is more effective in this generation than the other ones? And How..

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  32. Wow! This is interesting. I have never really give any thought into how music connect to the brain. I have always connect music to my emotion, I listen to certain music when I am Happy, when sad, studying, or relaxing. Learning how music have such an impact on the brain make me want to sing, or learn to play some type to instrument just to have that experience. This class have really thought me some interesting things about music.

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  33. Can anyone imagine what the world would have been like without music after learning some of the important roles music play in our lives?

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    1. If music never existed many things will change in the world. Well one obvious thing would be musicians would disappear and we wouldn’t really know them. Second I personally think the world would be viewed as much more quiet, nowadays music is everywhere. When your walking around your neighborhood, in movies, on tv, etc. If music didn’t exist it would feel empty but however people would be more aware of their surroundings which will lead them to become irritated because people usually use music to cut out stuff they don’t want to hear. Third I feel that people would have a lack of emotion because. People nowadays mostly cope with their feelings with music because often times it’s difficult to say how your feeling. But however music does it so well and so easily. Last we would lose poetry because at the end of the day music is a type of poetry.

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  34. Learning to play a musical instrument or sing definitely does have positive influences on the brain. It rewires your brain to be more sharp with its memory, reflexes, and its overall learning development. I can vouch for this because i use to play the cello in high school. Before playing the cello my memory was hazy and forgetful, my reflexes were slow and dull and everything about learning just went in one ear and out the other. After playing the cello i became more in tune with my memory and reflexes having to have memorized the proper chords and play them one after another to perform the fragment of the song i was learning. Slowly but surely i was understanding more about how to play the cello and my skills were beginning to become more refined and polished as i continued playing and learning. The positive influence playing cello had on my school life was discipline, productivity, and overall joy. Joy from learning something new and being able to incorporate its teachings to be implemented in other areas of my life.

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    1. It’s interesting that you noticed that! I played the French horn for 8 years! I wish I was able to say I could gauge a growth in my brain activity. While I know that I enjoyed playing it and it had a huge positive impact on my life, I cannot pinpoint a specific change like you can. I’m sure it helped me in similar ways, but it’s interesting how obvious it was for you. I guess the effect on me was slower over time compared to yours. Or maybe I just never really thought about it! I don’t know if I’m even making sense right now lol I hope I am. I wonder if playing instruments has different effects on different people?

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      1. Probably, because the sounds of each instruments is different. Like a guitarist maybe more quick witted or a pianist being more detailed oriented. This is my opinion.

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  35. It’s intriguing how powerful music can be. It influences the mind and body all just through sound. I’ve always noticed that while taking a walk and listening to exciting music, I’d walk more quickly and aggressively, feeling very upbeat. However, when I would listen to either calm or melancholic music, I’d be strolling instead of walking and I’d be deep into my thoughts. The best part about this is that I’ve never known music could actually be used as a tool. Knowing this, I want to be able to use and take advantage of this tool in order to advance my mental health and cognitive function. I could try and fix the fluctuations in my mood just by listening to music. I could enhance my motivation as well. I see music as a blessing, a helpful tool, and a wonderful concept and gift to us humans. The question that poses most significant to me is that, did we create music or did we discover it?

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  36. What also intrigued me is that, it isn’t only sound that can stimulate our nerves and our senses. It can also be smell. Actually, if you think about it it can be all senses. The sight of something scary can trigger hormonal responses just as much as music and scents can.

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    1. I would assume that music can correlate to memory, maybe if you had heard a song when you were little someplace, and you heard it today, that memory might come back to you even if its unclear, you would remember that memory because there was music correlated to it.

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  38. I defiantly agree with music being a stimulant as Ksmarti mentioned when people go to the gym all you hear is upbeat music to keep you motivated. When you feel like your muscles are giving out the songs played at the gym keep you pumped up and energized. It’s crazy how music and the brain work together.

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  39. Oceanrahsed has a point. Although this might be slightly off topic but earlier this week I was going through my Instagram and I ran into this video of an autistic/bind kid that was on America’s got talent this year and I was just absolutely speechless on how talented he was. Aside from having 2 disabilities he still had the ability of playing the piano and sing at the same time. Even though one of his senses, which was his sight, didn’t work he uses his hearing and tactile sense to guide his way to make beautiful music. Watching that video made me think how the brain can make beautiful music even when there’s a problem. A little scary how the brain functions with music. Do any of you guys personally know someone with a disorder that plays an instrument or has amazing vocals?

    If anyone was interested his name was Kodi Lee and he’s was just absolutely incredible.

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  40. Everyone’s personalities are different some might like rock, classical music , rap etc. People might even have different reactions than others.
    Music that pumps you up might not necessarily pump up the person next to you the same way. @Clyseight – I personally listen to the Spanish artists like Ozuna, Anuel, Bad Bunny , jBalvin…. and that’s the type of music that keeps me pumped when I’m stuck in traffic.

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  41. Music can really play with our brains. Personally, I consider magical how my brain reacts when I listen to music. I usually forget everything I have done during the day, or, if you ask me about what was my favorite activity during last year, I will have no idea. Surprisingly, it changes when I hear a random song. I start to have flashbacks when I listen to a song that was popular during that time. In this blog, I read that our brain creates connections when we do an activity, but when a song comes on line I experience a different feeling. I cannot recall memories easily, but when I hear a familiar beat, I instantaneously remember what I was doing, wearing, and feeling when that song was playing. It happens to be a lot either when I was playing a videogame, partying, or even suffering. Curiously, it does not happen always, but with certain songs. I think that is memorizing with music works, the ABC’s song is a good example.

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