The Effect of Music on the Mind and Leaning Abilities - Essay Example

The Effect of Music on the Mind and Leaning Abilities Introduction The study of the development of the mind specifically in relation to learning abilities is one of the focuses of research and studies undertaken in the field of psychology and neurology. This can be attributed to the great capacity of the brain to improve and enhance the learning process on the basis of the different stimuli aside from the genetic innate faculty of function. The main objective of the study conducted is to be able to present the assimilation of the data gathered in relation to the effects of music on the mind and the learning abilities that it posses. Included in the points considered in the study is the determination of whether an improvement or degradation of functions had been observed through the course of study related to the subject. Music and Its Effects Music is a stimulus perceived by hearing and had been described as the language of the soul on the basis of the properties believed to have effects on emotions and other aspects of a person’s well being such as the cognition, mental action and even leaning capabilities. Based on motivational and therapeutic studies, music can make a person achieve a relaxed feeling and accomplishment. Due to the said effects, music can help a person achieve volition or an “act of will” that helps in achieving a certain decision, which can be considered as a positive effect (Crowe 142). The effects of music on any form of problematic situation then can be considered as motivation and therapeutic. For that matter, such practice had been recognized to have positive and productive effects and referred to as the music therapy. Due to the observed effect of music, it had been explored and applied to different process to help conditions of the mind and emotion. The said interest then in relation of the effects of music is the main connection of the study undertaken. That is to be able to concentrate on the research undertaken related to the functions of the mind and the performance of learners upon exposure to measurable and quantifiable musical input. The effects of music in the body had been related to the impact on attention, energy and attitude. Due to the said capability of effect that can be attributed to the process of listening to the music, it has been promoted to be used in the learning environment to motivate the learners. It was also advocated due to the observed improvement of the attention span; student’s participation; and improve creativity, memory recall and other behavioral activities (Feinstein 330). Music to the Mind and Learning Abilities Due to the effects of music, it had been recognized to improve the process of learning on the basis of the improvement in the functioning of the body. The effects then can be assimilated on the mind, the body and the emotions. There are different results of empirical studies related to the subject under study. In the physiological study of the effects of music in the brain, Bodner and his colleagues presented an fMRI result related to the Mozart effect. The main focus of the study is in relation to behavioral aspects and the corresponding columnar cortical model predictions. The said study had been undertaken through an EEG coherence recording due to initials observation that music has been effective in the boosting of the spatial-temporal reasoning. The Mozart Sonata (K.448) is the main music used to measure the effects of music. This can also be attributed to early empirical studies related to the process commonly known and referred to as the Mozart effect due to the early observation of the enhanced brain functioning in relation to listening to classical music specifically that of Mozart. The study comparatively determined the effects of Mozart versus other types of music specifically that Beethoven’s Fur Elise and the 1930 piano music. Results showed significant differences in the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex, occipital cortex and cerebellum. These parts function for spatial temporal tasks (Bodner, Muftuler, Nalcioglu and Shaw 683-690). The application of the study of the Mozart’s Sonata K. 448 had been documented specifically in the performance of rotation and numerical tasks. To be able to standardize the process the event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) and coherence (ERCoh) had been utilized. Based on the result, the music improved the spatial rotation capabilities but had detrimental effects on the numerical tasks. This can be attributed to the activation of specific areas of the brain only (Jausovec and Habe 207-218). The said study can be related to the brain functioning in relation to listening to music specifically to the music of Mozart. The main focus of the study is the learning process resulting to a similar result to that of Bodner et al which is on the spatio-temporal rotation tasks. The empirical data gathering is related to the variation of the treatment of rest and relaxation in relation to the period of learning. The group that had been relaxing prior to training and listened to the music afterwards resulted in the highest result even compared to the control group (Jausovec, Jausovec and Gerlic 2703-2714). Another study is focused on the mental speed in relation to musical abilities. On the study of 2 groups with differences on the early childhood music program and musical guidance, the abilities were quantified and standardized through Kaufman’s ABC and Gordon’s PMMA and the saccadic eye movement recordings on electrooculogram (EOG). The mental speed had been identified as the measure of the level of metal abilities and skills. For that matter, although there is statistically insignificant differences, advantages in terms of the mental speed can be attributed to the group with childhood musical abilities. The level of expertise in the musical field then can be related to the cognitive and mental capabilities of a person (Gruhn, Galley and Kluth, 485-496). In addition, childhood training in music had been observed to improve the motor and cognitive capabilities of the brain resulting in functional plasticity and improve capacity for the brain in any chosen area (Watanabe, Savion-Lemieux and Penhune, 332-340). The activation of the brain then can be observed, with the advantage of the group with prior training. Upon the physiological examination of the brain, the activities can be observed in the areas of the right superior and middle gyri, the right inferior frontal gyrus and the left supramarginal gyrus but different parts were active when different tasks were assigned specifically involving the sensorimotor cortex. There are different important points that can be derived from the study then including the fact that the part of the brain that is involved in a particular activity is dependent on the task at hand, the type of stimulus and the musical training that had been undertaken prior to the activity (Seung, Kyong, Woo, Lee and Lee, 323-329). In the study focused to determine the effects of music to the improvement of the level of IQ, there are different variables involved. To increase the coverage of the empirical study, a comparative analysis of drama lessons and music lessons were undertaken. In addition, both social behavior and intelligence improvement were included (IQ). The children trained in music exhibited improved mental process and thus significant correspondence in IQ. On the other hand, the drama lessons were able to achieve results that are related to the improvement in the social behavior (Schellenberg, 511-514). The presented studies can be considered as included in the effects of music on the activities of the mind and the learning abilities of the people upon exposure to music in a variety of time and length of exposure. Based on the different studies, learning can be considered as a process of imbibing knowledge based on certain factors. One of the said factors is the cognitive arousal system wherein it had been determined that learning can greatly be connected to emotions (Crowe 142). The said concept then can explain the positive effect of music to the learning process. In addition, the effects of music can be attributed to the capacity to activate the brain when it is perceived by the senses. Such process is a complex procedure that involves the different aspects of brain functioning namely the physiological, psychological and emotional, thus, effects can be observed by using instrumentation, psychological standardized parameters and even emotional feeling of relaxation (p.142-143). Conclusion Based on the data gathered and presented in the research undertaken, it can be evaluated that the music has positive effect on the mind and learning abilities. This can be based on the capability of the musical stimulus to activate the different parts of the brain in a variety of ways and aspects. Works Cited: Bodner, Mark, L. Tugan Muftuler, Orhan Nalcioglu and Gordon L. Shaw. “fMRI study relevant to the Mozart effect: Brain areas involved in spatial-temporal reasoning.” Neurological Research 23 (2001): 683-690. Crowe, Barbara J. Music and Soulmaking: Toward a New Theory of Music Therapy. Scarecrow Press, 2004. Feinstein, Sheryl. The Praeger Handbook of Learning and the Brain: Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Gruhn, Wilfried, Niels Galley and Christine Kluth. “Do Mental Speed and Musical Abilities Interact?” Ann. N.Y. Acad Sci. 999 (2003): 485-496. Jausovec, Norbert and Katarina Habe. “The Influence of Mozart’s Sonata K. 448 on Brain Activity During the Performance of Spatial Rotation and Numerical Tasks.” Brain Topography 17.4 (Summer 2005): 207-218. Jausovec, Norbert, Ksenija Jausovec and Ivan Gerlic. “The influence on Mozart’s music on bran activity in the process of learning.” Clinical Neurophysiology 117 (2006): 2703-2714. Schellenberg, E. Glenn. “Music Lesson Enhance IQ.” Psychological Science 15.8 (2004): 511-514. Seung, Yunhee, Jeong-Sug Kyong, Sung-Ho Woo, Byeong-Tael Lee and Kyoung-Min Lee. “Brain activation during music listening in individuals with or without prior music training.” Neuroscience Research 52 (2005): 323-329. Watanabe, Donald, Tal Savion-Lemieux and Virginia B. Penhune. “The effect of early musical training on adult motor performance: evidence for a sensitive period in motor learning.” Exp Brain Res 176 (2007): 332-340. Read More