Choral Caffeine: You are 130% Smarter

Depending on your field of endeavor, certain things are just accepted as fact based almost solely on anecdotal observation.  I suspect the general reaction by most of us in the choral profession to the publication of the study linking music to brain activity (now commonly called The Mozart Effect) was a resounding, “Well, Duh!”

 

However, anecdotes aren’t scholarship (despite some of the undergraduate papers I’ve read).  So all of us can benefit from a little academic rigor to confirm what we already know to be true regarding the impact of music on the brain.

 

In her article, “A Cognitive Crescendo” (Indiana Notations, Winter 2007), Angela Hampton shares some of her research in this area.

 

Because music involves many different areas of the brain, growth resulting from active music participation is evident in several places. The brain’s capacity increases during musical activity because synapses are strengthened and connections are built between neurons. Music making is thought by some researchers to be the most extensive exercise for brain cells and for strengthening synapses. Brain scans of musicians reveal that nearly all of the cerebral cortex is active during performance.

 

In studies of professional musicians versus non-musicians, researchers have found that professional musicians have up to 130% more gray matter (cell bodies, axons and dendrites responsible for processing information) in multiple areas of the brain than non-musicians.

 

(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit ChorTeach.)