It's In The Science!

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Elisabeth Stagemoller claims that music has beneficial influences on our brains by promoting neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a recurring practice in the brain that gives us the ability to rewire our brain as a result of sensory input, motor action, reward systems, and awareness. It can affect one neuron or an entire region of the brain, known to strengthen already established neural networks and recognize the brain’s response to new sets of stimuli.

Elizebeth Stagemoller states there are three principles of neuroplasticity: Brain reward circuitry, which is involved with the primary neurotransmitter Dopamine, has been shown to invoke motivation, reward-seeking behavior, working memory, and reinforcement learning.

This is due to the Hebbian Principle which suggests that in order to strengthen a connection two neurons have to act in sync. In fact, many respiratory systems and basic functions such as movement, vocalization, breathing, and heart rate are all connected to music and rhythm. In addition, these connections also relate to sensory stimulation, pairing music with different tasks synchronizes neural populations not only in areas of the brain that process music but also in areas responsible for processing non-musical related tasks and behaviors. The structure of music also plays a key role in neuroplasticity as the continuous vibrations produced from music helps stimulate the brain, enhancing learning performance and spatial learning, allowing the participant to absorb and effectively process more information.

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Constantin, F. A. (2018). Music Therapy Explained By The Principles Of Neuroplasticity.                                                                              

 Journal of the American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences,1(1), 84-87. Retrieved March 15, 2019. doi:10.14510/araj.2017.4113.