Someone nearby is rhythmically tapping their toe. Is this an irritating noise or an organized, musical sound? As it turns out, the difference depends almost entirely upon the listener. The best indicator we have of knowing whether a particular person will interpret a sound as noisy or musical is their age: It is more common that older … Read more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqXWIxj4_Y0 In a study published in the journal Neurocase, Daniel Levitin, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, scanned the brain of famous Police frontman Sting. This scan took place while Levitin would play two different pieces of music, for example The Beatles “Girl” followed by a tango by Astor Piazzolla. To the untrained ear, … Read more
You’ve probably self-medicated with music before–most of us do it frequently! You listened to an upbeat song to motivate you for cardio exercise, you were soothed by a melancholy album during a rough patch, or maybe you put on something slow and relaxing while you were trying to fall asleep. You maybe thought about the power of … Read more
Date: Saturday, August 13th, 2016 at 10:00am (check-in begins at 9:00am) Venue: Colonel Bill Barber Memorial Park Location: 4 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA 92673 The Orange County Walk for Children with Apraxia of Speech is an event geared toward raising funding for programs and research on apraxia, raising awareness and, above all, is “a chance … Read more
There’s a reason why many of us love taking a walk, watching a beautiful sunset, or having a nice picnic. Exposure to nature and the outdoors correlate to many emotional, mental, and physical benefits, such as improved attention span, lower anxiety, an improved immune system, and more. Nowadays, hospitals make an effort to give patients a … Read more
In 2011 Radox Spa, a British company which sells shower gels, commissioned the band Marconi Union, the sound therapist Lyz Cooper, and researchers at The Mindlab to create “one of the world’s most relaxing musical tracks.” The song was tested on participants who were hooked up to biofeedback machines, monitoring things like their heart rate … Read more
Chances are you know the feeling, as research tells us anywhere from 55-86% of the population experiences “frisson” (free-sawn), or the full-body chill induced by an emotional sound or image. A movie trailer, a power ballad, or even a particularly moving photograph can trigger this response. The reason why is still being investigated, but research … Read more
This infographic from imamusictherapist.com shows how music therapy enables and contributes to neuroplasticity, or a fancy word for your brain’s ability to grow and change. Music has been shown time and again through research to be a powerful tool for rehabilitation, learning, and development. There’s a reason why you learned your ABCs with a song!