Music In The Brain

Although there's been a number of studies on the auditory system of the brain over the years, all of them have failed to zero in on a specific region for where music is created or appreciated. Until now, that is.

For the first time, neuroscientists from MIT have identified the exact area in the brain that responds to music, but not to other sounds like speech or from the environment.

The hope is that scientists can further identify regions that deal specifically with rhythm and melody in an effort to help people learn to play more quickly or refine their skills.

Check out the video about what they discovered.

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Being A Musician Helps You Live Longer

I've always felt that being a musician was a profession of a higher calling that most others. When you're doing it well, especially with others, there's a metaphysical and spiritual lifting that other professions, nobel though they be, just can't compete with.

Now comes research that shows that music, as we have suspected all along, has numerous rewards, from improving performance in school to dealing with emotional traumas to helping ward off aging. These come as a result of the brain biologically and neurologically enhancing its performance and protecting it from the some of the ravages of time thanks to the active participation of the player in the act of producing music.

Nina Kraus's research at the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University in Evanston, Il. has already shown that musicians suffer less from aging-related memory and hearing losses than non-musicians. They also found that playing an instrument is crucial to retaining both your memory and hearing as you age, and how well you process all sorts of daily information as you grow older.

It turns out that just listening to music isn't enough though. You actively have to participate as a player in order to receive any of the benefits.

That's as good a reason I can think of to learn how to play an instrument and keep on playing it for life. It's not only good for your spiritual health, but your physical side as well.

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