For a long time, scientists have hypothesized music was more of a right hemisphere activity in the brain. Closer studies and new technology has proved, however, that music actually activates the brain as a whole, lending a connective line to motivation, learning, and emotion. It generates large scale neural networks. It employs motor functions, supporting the idea that music is tied to movement and gives us the drive to dance. The rise of dopamine take your body on a joyride, increasing heart rates, temperature, and even flushes your brain with a tingly sensation that amplifies emotion.
Music is an auditory experience that has been around since the beginning in time, and it presents itself in nature. It’s older than we are, as it’s always been present in the sounds of insects and the elements themselves. Thunderstorms; the carrying on of atmospheric changes cradling the earth—auditory harmony has carried itself on the wind like a divine lullabye for ages.
Music leads to bonding; mother and child, between groups, keeping people upbeat while doing repetitive chores, even stimulating an army before warfare. It brings together people who’d otherwise have solitary lives. It’s been suggested that music is our “umbilical cord” to mother nature.
Musical patterns created by birds and whales are strong enough to attract mates for life. Humans instinctively took bones and made them into flutes; one of our first music technologies.
Music is one of our most important assets in life; even Albert Einstein used it as a tool to amp up his brain power. One quote in his own words is a spectacular revelation, “The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.”
When we listen to, play, or vocalize musical patterns, it’s advantageous to remember there’s more to it than recreation. It’s possible to utilize music to open up the mind. An academic study at the University of Plymouth in the UK published an article highlighting the role of a musician in programs created by associations like the British Association for Music Therapy, which is working on programs employing musical neurotechnology. If you haven’t heard of that, it’s the fundamental idea that music is math, and it can be used to help people with disabilities. I know—it sounds complicated. And it is. Here’s a short summarization of the concept, explained by a study published on Research Gate; a collaboration between the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR), the Faculty of
Arts, at the University of Plymouth, and the Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, in West Hill, London:
“Brain-computer interfacing technology, or BCI, allows a person to control appliances by means of commands expressed by brain signals relayed using appropriate brain monitoring technology. Brain-computer interfacing technology has great potential to enable persons with severe physical disability to participate actively in music-making activities.”
So there’s more potential for making music than simply entertainment—in medicine, psychology and science. The next time you build a melody or compose a song, think about the impact it can have on someone’s life. It can literally be life changing.
