Music can also aid the learning processes in a passive way. The studies <strong>of</strong> Dr. Roy J. Paget, a neuroscientist who founded the British Academy for Advanced Training (www. baatltd.com), conclude that music affects the body while studying as well as learning. He studies Brain Based Learning, a learning theory that is based on the structure <strong>and</strong> function <strong>of</strong> the brain. As long as the brain is not prohibited from fulfilling its normal processes, learning will occur. He adapted this theory to the combination <strong>of</strong> studying <strong>and</strong> music. While studying <strong>and</strong> listening to music the pulse <strong>and</strong> blood pressure decrease, the brain waves slow down <strong>and</strong> the muscles relax. These studies found a greater consistency when listening to classical music (1750-1825) <strong>and</strong> baroque music (1820-1900), from composers such as Bach, Albinoni, Pachelbel <strong>and</strong> Brahms who <strong>of</strong>ten wrote at a speed <strong>of</strong> 60 beats per minute. The pitch <strong>and</strong> rhythm <strong>of</strong> these composers’ music are attuned to the cyclic patterns <strong>of</strong> the brain. Dr. Paget summarized the effects <strong>of</strong> music on the body <strong>and</strong> mind into these eight points: effects on muscular energy <strong>and</strong> tones, an increase in molecular energy, the influence <strong>of</strong> rhythm on the heartbeat, changes in metabolism that affect physical energy, a reduction in stress levels, relief from fatigue <strong>and</strong> low energy, the release if emotions, feelings <strong>and</strong> character, <strong>and</strong> the stimulation <strong>of</strong> creativity, sensitivity <strong>and</strong> thinking. These qualities establish the rejuvenating <strong>and</strong> expressive strengths that help our brains relax <strong>and</strong> absorb information. According to Sciencedaily.com, Stanford University School <strong>of</strong> Medicine, a similar study in 2007, was created to show how the brain sorts out events in general. However, it found that musical techniques used in the writing <strong>of</strong> classical music helped the brain categorize incoming information. “In a concert setting, for example, different individuals listen to a piece <strong>of</strong> music with w<strong>and</strong>ering attention, but at the transition point between movements, their attention is arrested,” said Vinod Menon, PhD, associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> psychiatry <strong>and</strong> behavioral sciences <strong>and</strong> neurosciences. The study used music to evaluate the process <strong>of</strong> event segmentation, or the way that the brain establishes a current through which to filter <strong>and</strong> organize the constant information it is faced with. The brain divides information into chunks by extracting information from beginnings, endings <strong>and</strong> the boundaries between events. The researchers used eight symphonies by English composer William Boyce because he isn’t well known, his pieces are relatively short <strong>and</strong> they <strong>of</strong>fer several easily-noticeable transition periods. Equipped with noise-cancelling headphones, 10 men <strong>and</strong> 8 women who participated in the study were asked to lie prone in an MRI scanner <strong>and</strong> simply listen to music. The researchers concentrated on the 10 second period before <strong>and</strong> after the transition movements. They found that in the moments <strong>of</strong> silence between pieces <strong>of</strong> music, the brain is at a settled state <strong>and</strong> is focused on the upcoming music while still decoding the last piece. Continued on p. 18 6 Lights! Campus! Action! <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
The word “karaoke,” is enough to send some people running for shelter. Karaoke is not for everyone, but for those who love to sing, karaoke can be a lot <strong>of</strong> fun. People from all over the world fall in love with karaoke every day, <strong>Indiana</strong> residents are no exception. <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2012</strong> Lights! Campus! Action! 7
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