Summary: The question has been around for a little while now: Do children who are able to play musical instruments have more enhanced functions in their brains than children who do not play instruments? Through scientists' research they found that musically-trained children have more activity in their prefrontal areas in their brains than the children who are not musically trained. One scientist, Patel, came up what is called the OPERA theory. Each letter stands for a factor that promotes brain plasticity. He says that these factors often are associated with playing music. So, this means that playing a musical instrument promotes brain plasticity.
Connection to the Health Class: We spent a little quite a while learning about the brain. This is connected because playing music has postivite benefits on the brain.
Question: Do you play a musical instrument? Do you feel that musically trained children truly do have advantages in their brains?
URL: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/07/music-language-brain
I play a musical instrument: the piano. I feel that musically trained children do have some advantages, since music does help people in all sorts of ways. For piano players, playing the piano helps with hand-eye coordination.
ReplyDeleteI play the guitar as a musical instrument. I think that musically trained children do have advantages in their brain because in my opinion in opens a whole different side of who you are. For example as a guitar player I have the advantage of knowing more language,math, intelligence,and creativity.
ReplyDeleteI am not exactly a musical person as in singing or playing an instrument. But how about dancing, does that count?
ReplyDeleteI play the flute and the piano as musical instruments. In my opinion, I believe musically trained children truly do have advantages in their brains because you think about a lot of things when you're playing music. You have to watch the dynamics, the articulations, rhythms, tone quality, posture, and notes in order to perform well. As a musician, you would use your left side of the brain to accomplish the technics, but also collaborate with your side side of the brain for the artistic abilities.
ReplyDeleteMy theory about the matter is that this goes both ways, as smarter, for lack of a better term, people are going to be the ones who want the mental stimulation of playing an instrument, but then because of that stimulation, your brain then grows. But that's why forcing kids to play an instrument doesn't work, since kids who don't want to aren't going to practice or anything.
ReplyDeleteYes, I play the violin and I honestly don't really know if taking music helped me or not. I feel that I've always done exceptionally well in school, even before I started taking it in the 5th grade. But as the statistics stand, it obviously does help students improve academically. Maybe the reason I don't notice it is because it's a slow progression, who knows?
ReplyDeleteI play the piano and the violin as my instruments. I think that musically trained children have advantages in subjects like math and English because of the rhythm and tempo and the names in the music that are Italian or German. But, they might do the same as everyone else in science and history.
ReplyDeleteMy parents encouraged me to play the piano when I was little. A few years later I switched from the piano to violin and then to the viola which I am currently playing. I think that by playing an instrument one does benefit. For example: the individual may be able to focus better (due to time spent practicing) or understand fractions better (because of the way notes are written) I am not sure that music is what we can thank for a more developed brain, perhaps it is just the act of learning a new thing.
ReplyDeleteI play the alto sax. I think musical children develop a broader set of skills, such as motor control, acute hearing, and math and reading skills.
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