Musicians may display greater responses to sounds, in part because their auditory cortex is more extensive.
Peter Schneider and his co-workers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany reported in 2002 that the volume
of this cortex in musicians was 130 percent larger. The percentages of volume increase were linked to levels of
musical training, suggesting that learning music proportionally increases the number of neurons that process it.
….. In contrast, they observed no enlargement of the areas of the cortex that handle inputs from the right
hand, which controls the bow and requires no special finger movements. …..
Other studies suggest that the actual size of the motor cortex, as well as that of the cerebellum—a region at
the back of the brain involved in motor coordination—is greater in musicians.
===> Ode to Joy—or Sorrow
…. Underscoring those surveys was the result of a 1997 study by Carol L. Krumhansl of Cornell University. She
and her co-workers recorded heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and other physiological measures during the
presentation of various pieces that were considered to express happiness, sadness, fear or tension. Each type of
music elicited a different but consistent pattern of physiological change across subjects.
….. From this case we learn that the temporal lobe is needed to comprehend melody but not to produce an
emotional reaction, which is both subcortical and involves aspects of the frontal lobes.
……
Overall, findings to date indicate that music has a biological basis and that the brain has a functional
organization for music. It seems fairly clear, even at this early stage of inquiry, that many brain regions
participate in specific aspects of music processing, whether supporting perception (such as apprehending a
melody) or evoking emotional reactions. Musicians appear to have additional specializations, particularly hyper
development of some brain structures. These effects demonstrate that learning retunes the brain, increasing
both the responses of individual cells and the number of cells that react strongly to sounds that become
important to an individual. As research on music and the brain continues, we can anticipate a greater
understanding not only about music and its reasons for existence but also about how multifaceted it really is.
Music and the Brain (by Laurence O'Donnell)
Laurence O’Donnell III is a musicist (he plays the bassoon) from Perth, Scotland. He has created a site named Music
Power. This paper was produced as a result of his senior paper.
http://users.characterlink.net/odonnell/outline.html
“Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired” (Boethius cited by
Storr).
….. A friend of Einstein, G.J. Withrow, said that the way Einstein figured out his problems and equations was by
improvising on the violin.
If this is realy true, it indicates a lot, specially together with "Mystery Mozart" and the message
of "the Magic flute" !
===> Bodily Responses to Music
... Music is thought to link all of the emotional, spiritual, and physical elements of the universe. …..
Responses to music are easy to be detected in the human body.
Classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate to relax to the beat of the music. As
the body becomes relaxed and alert, the mind is able to concentrate more easily. Furthermore, baroque music
decreases blood pressure and enhances the ability to learn.
Music affects the amplitude and frequency of brain waves, which can be measured by an electro-encephalogram.
Music also affects breathing rate and electrical resistance of the skin. It has been observed to cause the pupils to
dilate, increase blood pressure, and increase the heart rate.
===> The Power of Music on Memory and Learning
The power of music to affect memory is quite intriguing. Mozart’s music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per
minute beat pattern, activate the left and right brain. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes
learning and retention of information. …...
….. see the learning tools of the Bulgarian psychologist, Dr. George Lozanov, ...