Researchers and scientists have done significant investigation into how the music affects the brain. Their findings have demonstrated that music has an effect on language, reasoning, special-temporal skills, emotional regulation, social skills, creativity, and self-expression. In short, music is powerful. It also influences us throughout our lives: “From the catchy tunes of childhood to the complex compositions we appreciate as adults, music permeates our lives and leaves a lasting imprint on our cognitive abilities.”[1] But for this post, I’d like to focus on the developmental benefits of music exposure for children.
The brain is central to our entire bodily function. It is responsible for all systems of the body; the ones we are aware of and the ones we don’t. An explanation of the details of the brain’s structure and how it operates is likely more tedious than helpful in this context. It is helpful, however, to know that the brain is a complex network of nerve cells which operate under the basic premise of “use it or lose it.” Therefore, if we want to keep neural connections, we need to provide them with continuous stimulation so that they become strong. Failure to do so results in the death and elimination of those neurons. With that in mind, let’s look at how music builds brains!
Musical engagement and participation, especially in dancing, recruits numerous sections of the brain, including:
- The Sensory Cortex: Tactile feedback from playing an instrument or dancing
- The Auditory Cortex: Listening to sounds, tone, pitch
- The Hippocampus: Memories and new experiences associated with music
- The Visual Cortex: Reading music, watching dancing
- The Cerebellum: Involved in movement from playing an instrument or dancing
- The Nucleus Accumbens: Interface between motivation and action
- The Amygdala: Emotional reactions
- The Prefrontal Cortex: Behaviour, expression, decision making
- The Motor Cortex: Movement while playing an instrument or dancing
- The Corpus Callosum: Connects both sides of the brain
When a dancer acquires skills through repetitive practice, the brain acquires structural adaptations. To engage in the creative process of dancing improves those skills, but it also improves cognitive and motor skill development, both of which contribute to improved mental well-being. When we consider neural pruning, which happens at volume around the age of 8, those who learn music and dance from a young age have brains that are literally designed for music and dance.[2] It is therefore to a child’s greater benefit to be involved in music and dance from a young age to receive maximum benefit of this neural architecture!
Imagine for a moment the skills and abilities you want to see developed in your child:
- Reading
- Math
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Critical Thinking
- Expression
- Listening skills
This list is by no means exhaustive, but through engagement in music and dance, beyond the simple rewards experienced in the brain, music has the power to transform each of those areas, simply by developing the neural connections between the various areas of the brain. What I find most magical about this, is that we cannot actually predict what will be created in these beautifully connected brains! We can map the neural connections through high-tech machines, but we cannot know how a person will shape and express what comes through those neural connections. That is the beauty of art! It forms a structure that allows a person to sculpt and form new ways of being and expressing. By providing the space for this neural architecture to form in your child, you are opening a door to possibility and creativity.
Lest adult readers despair that they are aged beyond these benefits, brains are plastic; that is, changeable, throughout the lifespan. So even if you didn’t benefit from early neural architectural design, you can still shape your brain and your life! Extensive research has been on the influence of music on neurodegenerative diseases and the impact of music on the brain, so if you’ve read this through thinking that your brain would not experience any of the changes shared above, think again! One needs only to find the courage to try.
The musicality of our steps is a central focus of classes at Kaleidoscope Irish Dance & Movement Studio. Yes, we are dancers, but we are also musicians. We simultaneously hear music and make music, which is a beautiful goal unto itself, but it is so much more!
If this resonated, the floor is waiting. Come step out some music with us!
November Samhain Session registration is open. Reserve your spot.