Music: Smarter if we keep it
When it comes to budget cuts, it may cost more to lose some programs than keep them. Case in point: music.
As governments and schools look for areas to save money, the arts are often the first hit. Never mind aesthetics and pleasure; the arts are directly correlated to intelligence and health. Let that go, and the effect reaches beyond lost education; the economy is negatively impacted too — a potentially self-defeating approach.
I was reminded Sunday as I sat in the Fox Theater, eyes half-closed in the blissful, sleepy-yet-hyper-alert state brought on by Verdi’s Requiem. So many senses alight — the Spokane Symphony accompanying well over 100 chorale voices, punctuated by four operatic soloists in a mesmerizing harmony of variant sounds and pitches and tempos. Not only were my ears drunk with sounds, eyes marveling at the volume of talented human instruments before us, but the sheer power of it all literally reverberated through the seats and into the body. I could feel it — literally, emotionally. Beautifully.
Cares forgotten; endorphins leaving their fabulous effects.
What a gift is music! But it’s so much more — sounds in tempo alter thinking.
Thomas Jefferson played the violin when he couldn’t think of the right words for the Declaration of Independence; we all know the result. Young Einstein played his to improve his grades. Music has been known to incite both violence and peace.
Study after study confirms music’s impact on the mind well beyond mood. The body responds to rhythms, perhaps because it works in rhythms. Think of hearing your own blood pressure or heartbeat, such as during a headache or after a run.
Or after music. Numerous studies have concluded that classical, especially baroque, music reduces heart rates and blood pressure (faster music has the opposite effect). As the body relaxes, the mind is more alert and concentrates with less interference. Certain music thus increases the ability to learn; classical music has been credited with making people “smarter.”
When music is not only being listened to, but actually learned, these effects are greatly amplified. Music education may be as important as math or science. Children who learned to play musical instruments had higher IQs and test scores than those who didn’t; the longer the instruction continues, the larger the effect, according to a study published in the May 2006 issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology.
All music affects the amplitude and frequency of brain waves, as measured by EEGs. Changes in breathing rates, electrical resistance of the skin, and pupil dilation responses have also been measured in scientific studies of music’s effects on the body.
Fast isn’t necessarily bad, but irregular beats can be. Australian physician John Diamond found that “anapestic beat” music, such as Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, causes an alarm effect and correlates with muscle weakness, learning problems in children, and “general malaise” in adults.
Mozart affects memory. His rhythmic, 60-beat per minute patterns activate the left and right brain simultaneously, allowing better retention of new information during listening. If you need to memorize something, read it while listening to Mozart.
Medical studies, such as a six-year Cleveland Clinic study reported in the May 2006 Journal of Advanced Nursing, showed patients with chronic and painful conditions who listened to music had better recovery rates, reduced pain, and less depression when medical therapies are combined with music. Happier thoughts lead to endorphins and other beneficial chemistry in the blood, aiding healing and health. What kind of music seems less important than just listening to whatever inspires the patient.
People don’t need studies to know that hearing and playing music lifts spirits. Now that we know it also makes us healthier and smarter, does it make sense to eliminate it?
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who regrets quitting piano lessons, but did stick with ballet. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com