Do you ever find yourself hearing those ominous words “Turn that garbage noise down!” only to realize that your parent’s ancient complaint is coming out of your own mouth? If so, welcome to the gang. If not, just wait a few years. Plato wrote in “The Republic” that “[A]ny musical innovation is full of danger to the whole State, and ought to be prohibited.” While those words might seem harsh, I think many parents could list a few musicians or genres they would like that declaration to apply to. But is it necessary?
The disconnect in generational sensibilities can be felt quite directly in the disparate experience of music. Yet, music has the capacity to create and restore bonds with our children – only one among the many benefits of a life rich in sound. Listening to those crazy sounds and lyrics that hum through the kids’ ear buds is a window into their world. What is the message of a particular piece of music? What are the underlying themes and should we support those themes? Are they healthy messages? Do they promote a world in which we want to live or do they express emotions that we also experience? There’s so much material in music that can help developing children explore critical thinking skills, morals, and healthy emotional responses.
Research on the benefits of music has been plentiful for years now. It has evolved past the somewhat limited view that playing Mozart for babies will make them smarter, thus creating a whole industry around the idea. While it is still true that the complexity and repeating lyrical themes of classical music appear to positively affect spatial reasoning skills, the theory that listening to Mozart in order to gain IQ points has been debunked. However, there are so many benefits to a life rich in music and some of them are as exciting as the Mozart Effect was back in the 90s.
Listening to music engages the many areas of the brain including “crossing the midline” or strengthening the connections between the two hemispheres known as the corpus callosum. This is one of the unique attributes that was found while studying the brain of Albert Einstein – he had a very large corpus callosum. He also played violin and regularly listened to music. What’s the big deal about this? The big deal is that the corpus callosum connects the motor, cognitive, and sensory areas in the two sides of the brain and that connectivity creates a more balanced experience in the various regions of the brain overall.
Here are some of the other incredible benefits that can be reaped from listening to music. Children’s perceptual abilities, numeration, and attentional skills are enhanced by music. They find outlets for their emotions and develop empathy through lyrics and the movements of the sound itself. Music can help children study for longer and attain better grades, improve their predictive skills, problem – solving, and memory. Add learning any musical instrument to the mix and the benefits go up even more.
In summary, the benefits of a life rich in music are well documented and many. So, even though we may pine away for a simpler day when lyrics were more simple to unravel or music was more … er … recognizable, it behoves us to jump in to the jungle of modern music and find out what drives our kids, help them organize their responses, and grow together.
Photos: Pixabay