Why Classical Music is Good for The Brain? Music has a strong effect on how we feel. A quiet, gentle lullaby can calm a fussy baby, and a majestic chorus can make us feel like jumping up and down with joy. But music can also change our thoughts.
Researchers have learned a lot about how the brain grows and changes over the past few years. Neurons, the cells in the brain, number in the billions when a baby is born. Those neurons connect to other neurons during the first few years of life. The links in our brains that we use often get stronger over time.
When children listen to music as they grow up, they make strong connections in their brains that are related to music. Some of these musical pathways do change how we think. Classical music seems to help us think about space better, at least for a little while. And learning to play an instrument may have an even longer-lasting effect on some thinking skills.
Does Music Make Us Smarter?
No, not really. The way we think seems to change when we listen to music. When adults listen to classical music, they can do things like putting together a jigsaw puzzle more quickly.
What is going on? We use the same parts of our brain to understand classical music as we do to understand space. When we listen to classical music, these pathways are “turned on” and ready to be used. This makes it easier to figure out how to solve a puzzle quickly. But it only works for a short time. About an hour after we stop listening to the music, our better spatial skills go back to how they were.
Learning to play an instrument, on the other hand, can have effects on spatial thinking that last longer. Several studies have shown that children who took piano lessons for six months got better at puzzles and other spatial tasks by up to 30%. Why does it make such a difference to play an instrument? Researchers think that learning music makes new connections in the brain.
Why Classical Music is Good for The Brain
What does classical music do to the brain? Music by composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, which most people call “classical,” is different from rock and country music. The way classical music is put together is more complicated. Babies as young as 3 months old can pick out that structure and even remember pieces of classical music they have heard before.
Researchers think that the complexity of classical music makes the brain better at solving spatial problems. So listening to classical music may affect the brain in a different way than listening to other kinds of music.
This doesn’t mean that other kinds of music aren’t good. Listening to music of any kind helps the brain build pathways for music. And music can make us feel better, which can make it easier to learn.
How Can You Help?
Parents and people who care for children can help kids love music from the time they are very young. Here are a few suggestions:
Listen to music with your baby.
Give your baby a lot of different kinds of music to listen to. If you play an instrument, practice close to your baby, but don’t make it too loud. A baby’s hearing can be hurt by loud music.
Sing to your baby.
No matter how well you sing, it doesn’t matter. Your baby starts to learn language by listening to you sing. Babies love how songs have beats and patterns. And even very young babies can remember the tunes they’ve heard.
Sing together with your kid.
As kids get older, they may like to sing with you. Putting words to music helps the brain learn and remember them faster and for longer. That’s why we still remember the words to songs we sang as kids, even if we haven’t heard them in years.
Start early with music lessons.
You don’t have to wait until your child is in elementary school to start lessons on an instrument. The brains of young children are ready to learn music. Most 4- and 5-year-olds like making music and can learn the basics of some instruments. And starting lessons young helps kids develop a love of music that will last a lifetime.
Get your child’s school to offer music lessons.
At least for a short time, singing helps the brain work better. Music education in school can help kids develop skills like coordination and creativity over time. Your child will be a more well-rounded person if they learn music.
