The Power of Music
In today's lesson, we explored the impact that music has on the mind and how it has changed our lives. We all have our favourite music that we've chosen when we needed a burst of energy for house cleaning or studying. An upbeat, dancing rhythm gets us moving when we'd rather play another round on Candy Crush and soft, mellow music sets the mood for a quiet dinner with friends.
What do you do when your health is threatened by a tumor and your ability to play the saxophone may come to an end? Today, we read about Dan Fabbio, a professional saxophonist, whose doctors came up with an innovative solution to help him hang on to his love for music in a very practical way. Through teamwork and the use of modern technology, they were able to propose a groundbreaking resolution to a tedious and risky surgery that might have otherwise compromised Dan's ability as a musician. Read more about it in the article below.
In our second article, we learned about just how unique our relationship with music can be through the stories of famed composers Benjamin Britten and Maurice Ravel. Both had suffered brain injuries that changed their lives. One was affected in the left hemisphere of his brain, leaving him unable to continue composing while the other was able to keep working even after his stroke.
Music also changes the neuroplasticity of the brain, allowing us to learn more effectively and recall the information that we've read. Playing music uses both halves or hemispheres of our mind and improves our overall performance as students. Read more about this phenomenon here.
http://brainworldmagazine.com/music-rhythm-and-the-brain/
After you have finished reading about your amazing mind and how it responds to music, continue your journey and explore questions that highlight how we are affected by the sounds around us.
1. How has music improved your life?
2. What negative impact can music have? (think scary movies, sad songs and songs with bad memories attached to them)
3. How can we use music to improve the world around us? How would you implement this change?
Practice writing and rereading your answers, they may surprise you! It's great to challenge your brain to think of new ideas on a much deeper, emotional level. It gives you more practice thinking in English while searching for new vocabulary words. Note the highlighted words in the text and add them to your vocabulary if you're unsure of their meaning. Try working along with some music and see what happens! Comment below to see how your experience compares with others.
