The power of music is a mysterious and fascinating topic that people have studied for years. It has been said that music has always been in our genes as a part of our biological heritage. Music exists everywhere and has existed forever. But exactly what effect does music have on us? Why are we so enthralled by certain types of music and how is it able to do things such as change our mood and emotions? Music obviously has some sort of influence on our minds, but what kinds of music are harmful and what kinds are helpful?
Research has shown that various types of music have different influences on our brains. For example, a study done on college students showed that students who listened to ten minutes of Mozart before taking a test got better scores on the test than students who listened to pop music. Other studies show that students who start out the day playing in an orchestra, band or choir perform better during the rest of the day. Norman M. Weinberger, a neurologist, said, “The cortical representation of digits two to five on the left hand of string players is greater than for the right, suggesting that musical experience does influence the brain” (Dress). Music doesn't only affect the human mind, but it can influence plants and animals as well. We all hear the theory that cows that listen to music give more milk and chickens lay more eggs. Researchers have even found that wheat will grow faster when exposed to ultrasonic sounds and certain musical sounds. A study done by a high school student involving lab mice demonstrated the affects of music on the brain. First, the mice ran through a maze in approximately ten minutes. The mice were separated into two groups. The student played classical music to one group and heavy metal to the other group for about ten hours each day. After three weeks, the mice were made to run the maze again. The mice exposed to classical music made it through in about one minute and thirty seconds. The heavy metal group took a whole thirty minutes! David Merrell, the student doing the experiment said, “I had to cut my project short because all the hard-rock mice killed each other. None of the classical mice did that” (qtd. Merrell, Why). Studies show that music can also influence plant growth. “Research done by Dorthy Retallack on plants involved exposing plants to various genres of music over a long period of time” (Coply). The genres included classical, jazz, pop, rock, and acid rock. She used the same types of plants under the same conditions. When the experiment was complete, the plants exposed to classical, jazz, and Ravi Shanker turned out very healthy and flourished in their environment. Even more interesting, the plants leaned toward the source of the sound and some even wrapped themselves around the radio. In contrast, the plants tested with rock and acid rock withered and died. Another plant experiment done by Dr. T.C. Singh showed that constant exposure to classical music affected plants by causing them to grow at twice their usual speed. Violin music was found to be one of the most life-enhancing instruments of all. “Yet perhaps the most interesting and significant of all Dr. Singh's findings was that later generations of the seeds from musically stimulated plants carried on the improved traits of greater size, more leaves, and other characteristics” (Why). Classical music had actually changed the plants' chromosomes! These experiments show what sort of drastic effects music can have on the brain.
It is obvious from this research that certain types of music can help while others can hurt. But what kinds of music are good for the brain and what aren't? Music is made up of many different elements that make a composition or a song what it is. Rhythm is one of those elements and one of the most important fundamentals that make up a piece of music. The rhythm of a song can have an influence on cognitive skills and physical healing. Our body contains it's own rhythms such as a heartbeat or breathing rate. A muscle memory, such as tying a shoe or just walking, is also a type of rhythm. The rhythms found in music can affect the physical body in five different ways including: “frequency and amplitude of brain waves, breathing rate, electrical resistance to skin, blood pressure, and pupil dilation” (O'Donnell). “There are two basic responses to rhythm. These are: the actual hearing the rhythm and the physical response to the rhythm.” (O'Donnell). For example, one may notice that listening to music while walking or running affects the rate and rhythm of their physical movements. Different styles of music have different rhythms. For instance, classical music, mainly baroque, has a definite, steady beat that can stimulate the brain and cause the heartbeat and pulse to relax to the beat of the music. In this way, the body is more alert and relaxed and concentration comes more easily, increasing the ability to learn. Music by composers such as Mozart, Bach, and Handel has is known for its ability to arouse the mind and help the body heal through it's rhythm. In contrast, other types of music, such as rap have loud, repetitive rhythms that also stimulate the brain, but in a not-so-healthy way. These booming beats can end up controlling the heartbeat and forcing the mind to think in a certain way. It does not have the relaxing effect that classical music has. Referring back to the experiment involving rats, this sort of music can confuse the brain and affect the ability to concentrate. In Madeline L'Engle's book, A Wrinkle in Time, the enemy, “IT,” controls the inhabitants of the planet by making them all do everything at the same time, using a rhythm that no living being can resist. Similarly, rap and rock and other types of popular modern music can have the same sort of effect on the human mind.
