Joban Aguilar

Dr. Donna Andrews

EDSS 3900
15 October 2014

Reflections on an Article
In the Education Week article Music Sharpens Brain Pathways, Studies Say, writer
Sarah D. Sparks discusses the affects that musical learning has on the brain. Musical students
have to use several parts of their brain at the same time. Sparks uses the example of a Youth
Orchestra LA violinist as she is playing the violin with her hands, using her eyes to read the
music notes and simultaneously using her peripheral vision to see the conductors given tempo,
and audibly focusing on her own sound as well as the sounds of the musicians around her. There
is so much going on! The brain is a fascinating thing for being able to comprehend all of these
things happening at once. I distinctly remember back when I first started playing music just how
difficult it was to keep up with everything and everyone else. These skills that a musician needs
in order to play music well with others are just like another other cognitive skills that we as
humans develop and can master. Studies done by the Society of Neuroscience showed that
playing music improved cognitive development. It also may increase brain pathways connections
with parts of the brain that are in charge of complex memory, creativity, making decisions, as
well as being able to make sense of conflicting sensory information. I strongly agree with this
because I know that as a jazz musician, I have to be creative in my improvisational skills as well
as being able to memorize jazz tunes and make fast decisions about how I want my music to
sound. We have to think about all of these things at once. It is definitely a skill that is difficult
but rewarding to master.
Being a musician also means being a multitasker. Julie Roy conducted a study comparing
the sensory multitasking of non-musicians and musicians. Sparks states Longtime musicians,
however, who must simultaneously read music, feel their instrument, and respond to the sounds
it produces, were more than twice as accurate at distinguishing touch and hearing. As a
musician, one must be aware of all of his surroundings. You have to know where you fit into the
musical texture or what role you play in a given passage of music. The same goes for your
musical neighbor; you have to be aware of what roles he might play and how your part and his
interact.
Playing music also helps focus the ability for students to sit quietly, listen, be attentive,
and be interactive. It is like any other skill that you can master. Ive seen friends of mine change
from unfocused delinquents to attentive members of society just by being in band or playing a
musical instrument. It teaches discipline and respect for an art while developing sociological,
cognitive, and creative skills within the student. Researchers have also associated learning
disabilities like dyslexia in reading or dyscalculia in mathematics with musical dysfunctions such
as not being able to keep a steady beat or not being able to match pitch (tone-deafness). When
learning music, youre also learning patterns. This is a very important aspect that can be easily
forgotten and ignored. Identifying patterns are like exercise for the brain and musical
development can help brain cognition.
All in all, I would highly recommend this article to all non-musicians. The reason I say
this is because musicians already know all of these things. We all grew up being told that if we
played music wed get better SAT scores. It is crucial that people in other fields know that music
can help too. Music can not only be a way of self-expression and art but also a skill to learn from
and apply in other areas.