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Alex Leo
Ms. Lobitz
AP Language and Composition
6/4/2012
The Relationship between Music and the Brain
I’ve always had this undeniable connection with music. The lyrics and melodies of artists
such as Elton John and Wishbone Ash have been coursing through my veins for 17 years, and I
can sing every word to all of those songs all this time later. I’ve always pondered why it sticks,
wondering what mechanism in our brain unlocks those memories over and over again,
unleashing the melodic lines so dear to my heart. But more curiously, why do those songs never
cease to make me happy or nostalgic? Why do others make me tear up every time, without a
doubt? The toll music takes on my brain, as well as my whole life provokes endless reels of
questions that have been long past due to be answered.
I’d like to think that music affects the development of our brains while we’re young,
molding it into its own unique form. But affect may not be the right word, so much as stimulate
may be. You can walk into the band or orchestra room and find the majority of the top ten in
each class. The most intellectually curious are those with 10,000 songs on their iPod, and are
able to recite that library. These observations are precise, but not far-fetched, and ones exposure
to music seems to set the scene of their brain activity. I just now turned on my John Williams
Pandora station, and the points I’m trying to convey were brought straight to the front of my
mind.
Music presents itself everywhere in our daily lives, affecting our emotions, productivity,
occupations, and thought processes. The extent to which we let it influence us is uncontrollable,

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because the brain takes over without any sort of permission. The tension and attraction between
music and the brain is so strong and sensitive that the inevitable effects are shared throughout our
bodies and other aspects of our lives. Music has a weird way of electrifying our thoughts, making
us think about things in new terms from an almost entirely different perspective. This
phenomenon has no name, but completely dominates my writing process; as my words find their
way to my fingertips, it’s as if the melody guides them there. While grateful for this inspiration, I
aspire to put words and definition behind it; I thirst for these answers. Music’s place in
neuroscience continues to grow, and their relationship is both a mystery and an impending
discovery.
The first notable thing taken from music is the rush of emotion behind the swells and
melodies. The rush of positive emotion is the dopamine, or endorphins that are derived from
sounds coursing through the ears. Similar phenomena are found while taking drugs or having
sex. One question aroused during the study asked, “’If you’re getting such a strong dopamine
rush from music, why not make drug addicts listen to music? (Zatorre CNN)’” The answer is
because there’s one pleasure mechanism, and music has one route into it. Drugs take a
completely different route in to get to the same place. On the contrary, these different stimuli
have important different properties, and will never be interchangeable.
Bad, negative, or forgettable memories are unlocked through music just as easily as
cherished ones. A song with a lot of emotional attachment behind it will immediately trigger
these memories. What isn’t noted is that it’s not the music that causes a rush of negative
emotion, it’s the memory. The route from the speakers to the brain to the reaction the rest of the
body happens every time; the body isn’t the direct receptor of the music. Other negative
emotions can be felt by listening to music that sets up scenes in the mind. Any composer wants

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imagery to cultivate their music, especially if no lyrics are present. A love sonata often makes the
listener feel heartbreak, and deep dark sounds may cause fear or anxiety. The experience will
always differ from person to person, due to a variety of factors.
Having a snippet of a song stuck in the head is called an “ear-worm”. Although not much
is known about this occurrence, scientists believe that a person’s neural circuits get stuck on a
loop, replaying the same piece over and over again. The only remedy to have this stop is to listen
to other, less catchy songs, though there’s still the possibility that they can have the same affect.
More attention is being brought to these “ear-worms” because it happens to the majority of
music listeners, and is damaging to the everyday life and routine of people. The opposition to
normal functioning can cause a lack of sleep, concentration and sanity. Developments of
obsessive compulsive disorders have risen, as well as anti-anxiety medication having to be used.
This medication only relaxes the neural circuits, and does not make the “ear-worm” disappear for
the time being.
An almost unrecognizable, but important part of actively listening to music is exercising
the cognitive side of the brain, providing plenty of musical training, experience, and exposure,
but unlocking other completely unrelated facilities of the mind. Practicing music involves
sometimes-extensive mathematics: identifying patterns, counting rhythms, and reading time
signatures. More studies find that learning to play a song involves “executing a ‘motor-action
plan’: a sequence of events that must happen in a particular order (Music and the Mind)”. Neural
circuits guide these plans, and practice only strengthens the way they are executed. Without this
important functioning of the brain, comprehending music would be impossible.
Varying selections of music not only affect the brain's functions, but other organs and
limbs of the body as well. While upbeat rhythms and unexpected twists and turns in any piece

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jumpstart the heart, “Classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate
to relax to the beat of the music (American Music Therapy Association)”. This synchronization
is a natural occurrence, a product of our brain sending signals around our body to react to our
environments. This relaxation allows concentration in the mind to fixate, increasing the
amplitude and frequency of brain waves, which is a direct cause to why classical music is
beneficial to listen to while in the course of ones studies.
There’s a reason why classical music doesn’t have the same effect as rap does, for
example. First off, lyrics in any genre of music are distracting. The mind is busy processing
words, which distracts and slows down anything else that is trying to be accomplished. If what
the mind finds to be a good lyric or line, it will ponder it for an even longer time. Fast paced
rhythms and beats occupy a lot of space in the mind as well. The whole cognitive side of the
brain takes over, as the mathematics in music demands to be computed. These faster paced songs
speed up the heart rate, on the contrary to classical music slowing it down in most cases. With a
faster heart rate, more attention and signals are sent from the brain the heart, and many times
stress and anxiety occurs, even if it doesn’t feel like that’s happening. Subconsciously, more
goes on while listening to music than people notice, which could be detrimental if something
productive is going on.
Music can serve as a type of medicine as well. Studies show that people living with
Parkinson’s benefit from moving to a rhythm or beat, replacing the jerking tremors. This could
be regarded as a type of physical therapy, though this happens through the brain. Signals of
coordination and organized movement sent around the body serve as a loophole to the ticks and
tremors of the affected. Music Therapy is used to fit the patient’s needs both mentally, physically
and emotionally. It’s used on the basis of exposure, variety and frequency. It’s interesting how

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one depressed patient needs upbeat music, while the other needs sad music, both working to dig
that person out of that state.
Music is used in speech therapy as a method for patients who have suffered from strokes
and have trouble forming their words and sentences. In extreme cases, a method called melodic
intonation therapy is used. Even after the left side of the brain is damaged, where the center of
speech occurs, patients may still be able to sing full lyrics to certain songs. With repetition, the
music is taken away, and the patient is asked to speak the lyrics. Eventually the lyrics can be
replaced with regular phrases, and "as they try to recall words that have a similar contextual
meaning to the lyrics, their word retrieval and speech improves (Music as Medicine for the
Brain)". The mind processes lyrics and rhythm much faster and more efficiently than words with
nothing behind them. This cognitive branch continues to advance communication, as music is
more commonly becoming considered a language.
Every brain is unique but at the same time interchangeable, functioning different from
person to person but ultimately working in the same ways. The director of Harvard’s Mind,
Brain, and Education program, Kurt W. Fischer, comments, “What we find is people really do
change their brain functions in response to experience (Fischer Education Week)”. This brings
up the age-old question of nature versus nurture, in wondering if the brain is really moldable.
The brain, metaphorically of course, is flexible in that it can start to behave differently after any
given event, whether physically or mentally. A person’s ability to change stems from the brain’s
plasticity, which comes as a “huge surprise to a whole lot of people.”
So how does general inspiration finds its way from tonal chords and violin sonatas?
When Thomas Jefferson couldn’t find the right words for the Declaration of Independence, a
quick improvising session on his violin led the way to one of the most profound and outspoken

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documents in History. When Albert Einstein was told he wouldn’t amount to anything in school,
his mother defiantly bought him a violin, which paved the road for his cognitive problem solving
mastery, becoming regarded as one of the smartest men to ever live. Certain sounds, rifts, and
chords unlock foothills of our minds that can’t normally be reached, allowing our greatest
inspirations to stem from memories and experience. Music is a catalyst in the thinking process,
bringing the reactants to the forefront to speed up the reaction, producing results that would have
otherwise never been reached.
Listening to Mozart does not increase intelligence, but allows the brain to process
rhythm, find patterns, and anticipate more efficiently. Given this opportunity at a young age sets
up for healthy work ethic, and furthered intellectual curiosity. So would giving every infant this
opportunity ultimately cultivate a utopian society? Dr. Laurel Trainor, a professor of Psychology,
Neuroscience, and Behavior at McMaster University in Ontario, insists, “From a very early age,
infants have certain musical preferences (The Violinist)”. One study showed their preference for
consonance over dissonance, drawn more to Mozart, furthering the explanation of classical
music assisting the development of the brain and its functions. Another study focused on the
brain becoming specialized to a certain type of music after extended exposure. This “musical
enculturation” is both created and embedded, but supports the suggestion of the brain’s ability to
mold.
The variety of opinions and scientific studies I found made supporting my thesis difficult
for a number of reasons. People out there feel just as strongly as me about music and its effects,
supporting both the opinion that it has little influence, or that its effects are never-ending, and
that the extent is vast. The relationship between music and the mind is such a broad topic that
narrowing down questions, sources, and essential questions was disheartening. This relationship

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stretches so far out that the process was tedious in cutting down on what looks frivolous, but in
fact is just fascinating but unsupportive.
Music doesn’t affect the brain; music affects the way the brain functions, stimulating a
number of activities inside. It unlocks memory, inspiration, higher level thinking, and a number
of other facilities that improve the mental capacity of any given person. The impact music has on
the way our minds function varies both negatively and positively, but enhances our brain activity
regardless. Those who have to relearn how to speak and communicate do so through lyrics and
rhythm. Those who need balance to walk due to detrimental disease do so through rhythm and
pace. The incredibly uninspired create masterpieces for the world to share, after a lifetime of
unsuccessful, music-lacking living.
Music has made me the person I am today, and I believe it is the push behind my
academic and social endeavors. I’m never more awestruck than when I hear a lyric that ties in
perfectly with a situation I’ve experienced. I never cry harder than when a beautiful chord
courses through my ears, and I visualize the harmony and power behind it. The way my brain has
developed and molded around music is so unique, and by far my most cherished trait.
From the day we’re born, we are influenced by the way music moves us. The passion for
music I’ve developed has always been present, but I never thought about the logistics behind it
until now. I am pleased by my findings on the way the brain functions, but saddened knowing
that not everyone can experience how music makes me feel. Music becoming more recognized
as both medicine and a language is assuring and shows how accepting society is of new methods
and ways of treatments. This open-mindedness with hopefully pave the way for continued
research in all sorts of fields of study. Music’s place in society but more importantly

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neuroscience and medicine increases in importance every day, giving a healthy outlook for the
future.

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Works Cited
“About Music Therapy and AMTA.” American Music Therapy Association. N.p., June 2012.
Web. 6 June 2012. <http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/>.
Fields, Scott. “Music on the Mind.” APS Observer. Association for Psychological Science , Apr.
2006. Web. 29 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1967>.
Landau, Elizabeth. “Music: It’s in your Head, Changing your Brain.” Editorial. CNN Health.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., 28 May 2012. Web. 6 June 2012.
<http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/index.html>.
Lehrer, Jonah. “The Neuroscience Of Music.” Wired. N.p., 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/the-neuroscience-of-music/>.
Niles, Laurie. “Laurel Trainor on Music and the Mind.” Violinist. Niles Online, 2 June 2012.
Web. 6 June 2012. <http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20126/13620/>.
O’ Donnell, Laurence. “Music and the Brain.” Cerebromente. Music Power, 1999. Web. 6 June
2012. <http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html>.
Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia. 2007. New York: Vintage Books, 2008. Print.

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Schlaug, Gottfried. “Neuroimaging Laboratory .” The Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 2012. Web. 29 Jan.
2012. <http://www.musicianbrain.com/>.
Shulman, Matthew. “Music as Medicine for the Brain.” U.S.News & World Report . U.S.News &
World Report , 17 July 2008. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. <http://health.usnews.com/health-
news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2008/07/17/music-as-medicine-for-the-
brain>.
Sparks, Sarah D. “Scientists Find Learning is not ‘Hard-Wired.’” Editorial. Education Week.
Focus On, 4 June 2012. Web. 6 June 2012.
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/06/06/33neuroscience_ep.h31.html?tkn=POX
FyuNZHEHMNe6I8xYyaQ8qol%2FiqTUkKeTP&cmp=clp-
edweek&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss>.