The Advantages of a Musical Experience

The Advantages of a Musical Experience 

Dr, Toby Dye presented his research findings on the benefits of being a musician(personal communication, February 4, 2020). Dr Dye shared that musical experience leads to neuroplastic changes, results in better representations of speech sounds, enhances language processing, and advances subcritical-evoked responses to categorical speech. He also conveyed that musicians are able to connect with people more through music and are able to regulate their emotions better. 

This subject interested me particularly because I used to play percussion in elementary and middle school. Before high school, I quit. Dr Toby Dye’s research presentation made me question whether I made a mistake because I felt like I had missed out on all the advantages a musical experience has to offer. I was curious about the magnitude of my mistake, so I found an article that provided more information on the effects of music on the brain. The article, which is called, “Music has powerful(and visible effects on the brain)” was published by Science Daily. 

In the article(Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 2017), a neuroradiologist from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Jonathan Burdette, said that people’s brains react a certain way when they approve or disapprove of something. That also translates to when people listen to music. Burdette researched this phenomenon by utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging to see changes in blood flow on 21 participants when they listened to songs they liked or disliked at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Burdette’s team of researchers discovered that the participants preference for music played a large role in brain connectivity in auditory brain areas. It especially benefited a circuit named the default mode network, which is responsible for thought, empathy, and self-awareness. They also found that musicians are better at using auditory and visual cues compared to people who are not music experts. 

While Dr Toby Dye shared the positive impact of exposure to music on the brain, the research study from the article additionally specified how essential it is for a person to like a song they are listening to in order for it to be effective. The results of both research studies support the idea that incorporating music in one’s life can be rewarding. Whether someone is listening or playing music, their brains are becoming stronger. Overall, the findings suggest that it is important for people to listen to music frequently, learn how to play an instrument, or even try out music therapy. 

References:

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. (2017, April 12). Music has powerful (and visible) effects on the brain.ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170412181341.htm