Music Training 'Tunes' Human Auditory System

A newly published study by Northwestern University researchers suggests that Mom was right when she insisted that you continue music lessons -- even after it was clear that a professional music career was not in your future.
The study, which will appear in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, is the first to provide concrete evidence that playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brainstem's sensitivity to speech sounds. This finding has broad implications because it applies to sound encoding skills involved not only in music but also in language.
The findings indicate that experience with music at a young age in effect can "fine-tune" the brain's auditory system. "Increasing music experience appears to benefit all children -- whether musically exceptional or not -- in a wide range of learning activities," says Nina Kraus, director of Northwestern's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory and senior author of the study.
"Our findings underscore the pervasive impact of musical training on neurological development. Yet music classes are often among the first to be cut when school budgets get tight. That's a mistake," says Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology and Physiology and professor of communication sciences and disorders.
"Our study is the first to ask whether enhancing the sound environment -- in this case with musical training -- will positively affect the way an individual encodes sound even at a level as basic as the brainstem," says Patrick Wong, primary author of "Musical Experience Shapes Human Brainstem Encoding of Linguistic Pitch Patterns." An old structure from an evolutionary standpoint, the brainstem once was thought to only play a passive role in auditory processing.
Using a novel experimental design, the researchers presented the Mandarin word "mi" to 20 adults as they watched a movie. Half had at least six years of musical instrument training starting before the age of 12. The other half had minimal (less than 2 years) or no musical training. All were native English speakers with no knowledge of Mandarin, a tone language.
In tone languages, a single word can differ in meaning depending on pitch patterns called "tones." For example, the Mandarin word "mi" delivered in a level tone means "to squint," in a rising tone means "to bewilder," and in a dipping (falling then rising) tone means "rice." English, on the other hand, only uses pitch to reflect intonation (as when rising pitch is used in questions).
As the subjects watched the movie, the researchers used electrophysiological methods to measure and graph the accuracy of their brainstem ability to track the three differently pitched "mi" sounds.
"Even with their attention focused on the movie and though the sounds had no linguistic or musical meaning for them, we found our musically trained subjects were far better at tracking the three different tones than the non-musicians," says Wong, director of Northwestern's Speech Research Laboratory and assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders.
The research by co-authors Wong, Kraus, Erika Skoe, Nicole Russo and Tasha Dees represents a new way of defining the relationship between the brainstem -- a lower order brain structure thought to be unchangeable and uninvolved in complex processing -- and the neocortex, a higher order brain structure associated with music, language and other complex processing.
These findings are in line with previous studies by Wong and his group suggesting that musical experience can improve one's ability to learn tone languages in adulthood and level of musical experience plays a role in the degree of activation in the auditory cortex. Wong also is a faculty member in Northwestern's Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program.
The findings also are consistent with studies by Kraus and her research team that have revealed anomalies in brainstem sound encoding in some children with learning disabilities which can be improved by auditory training.
"We've found that by playing music -- an action thought of as a function of the neocortex -- a person may actually be tuning the brainstem," says Kraus. "This suggests that the relationship between the brainstem and neocortex is a dynamic and reciprocal one and tells us that our basic sensory circuitry is more malleable than we previously thought."
Overall, the findings assist in unfolding new lines of inquiry. The researchers now are looking to find ways to "train" the brain to better encode sound -- work that potentially has far-reaching educational and clinical implications. The study was supported by Northwestern University, grants from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by Northwestern University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

The Power of Music with Parkinson's Disease

Rande Davis Gedaliah's 2003 diagnosis of Parkinson's was followed by leg spasms, balance problems, difficulty walking, and ultimately a serious fall in the shower. But something remarkable happened when the 60-year-old public speaking coach turned to an oldies station on her shower radio: She could move her leg with ease, her balance improved, and, she couldn't stop dancing. Now, she puts on her iPod and pumps in Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." when she wants to walk quickly; for a slower pace, Queen's "We Are the Champions" does the trick.
Music therapy has been practiced for decades as a way to treat neurological conditions from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to anxiety and depression. Now, advances in neuroscience and brain imaging are revealing what's actually happening in the brain as patients listen to music or play instruments and why the therapy works. "It's been substantiated only in the last year or two that music therapy can help restore the loss of expressive language in patients with aphasia" following brain injury from stroke, says Oliver Sacks, the noted neurologist and professor at Columbia University, who explored the link between music and the brain in his recent book Musicophilia. Beyond improving movement and speech, he says, music can trigger the release of mood-altering brain chemicals and once-lost memories and emotions.
Parkinson's and stroke patients benefit, neurologists believe, because the human brain is innately attuned to respond to highly rhythmic music; in fact, says Sacks, our nervous system is unique among mammals in its automatic tendency to go into foot-tapping mode. In Parkinson's patients with bradykinesia, or difficulty initiating movement, it's thought that the music triggers networks of neurons to translate the cadence into organized movement. "We see patients develop something like an auditory timing mechanism," says Concetta Tomaino, cofounder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function in New York City. "Someone who is frozen can immediately release and begin walking. Or if they have balance problems, they can coordinate their steps to synchronize with the music," improving their gait and stride. Slow rhythms can ease the muscle bursts and jerky motions of Parkinson's patients with involuntary tremors.
Actually playing music, which requires coordinating muscle movements and developing an ear for timing, can also bring dramatic results, says Rick Bausman, a musician and the founder and director of the Martha's Vineyard-based Drum Workshop. The workshop uses traditional drum ensembles, in which groups of participants play percussion pieces, as one form of therapy for patients with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities, including Parkinson's disease. Bausman teaches participants to play along with traditional Afro-Caribbean beats like the Haitian kongo and Cuban bembe using congas, bongos, and djun-djun drums. "Participants report that their control of physical movement improves after playing the drums, their motion becomes more fluid, they don't shake quite as much, and their tremors seem to calm down," says Bausman.

Can Music Vibrations Affect Water

Have you seen the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know Anyway?" I thought it was fantastic and was especially fascinated by the work of Dr. Masuru Emoto. Please enjoy this blog post from someone else who also impressed by this amazing body of work.

The movie, “What the Bleep Do We Know,” set all-time attendance records at the local Sedona movie house. Even the afternoon shows were filled to capacity. People were going back to see the movie two or three times! It’s a movie about Quantum Physics and the principle that many possibilities exist at the same time. If you have seen it, you will remember the photos of giant water crystals. These pictures are from a best-selling book called Hidden Messages in Water by Masuru Emoto. In short, he exposed water to different words or music and then froze it and took a picture of the crystal. The results are amazing. The essence of this discovery is that when water is exposed to words like “love & gratitude” or “hate” it can change the molecular structure. This is the principle of hado, a subtle form of energy that exists in all things. The hado or energy of the words and music affected the shape of the water crystals!
Sedona residents are into water! The local favorite is Fuji. At the local health market, you will also see people filling up water bottles with words written on them, like “love” or “happiness”! I will do this once in a while with the bottles of water I give clients on Sedona Vortex Experiences. The water does taste better!
Three days ago I began to read Masuru Emoto’s new book, The True Power of Water, about his work with water and healing. What I read blew my mind and I had an amazing breakthrough in my healing work with clients on Sedona Retreats. I saw that how he is using hado and water to heal people is very similar to my long-distance healing work! But it never occurred to me to use water to heal people in the specific manner that he is doing.
He sites this phenomena: If you measure the sound wavelength of a phone ringing in a room and then introduce the directly opposing wavelength into the room-the ringing disappears! Wow! Bose, the stereo company, is doing something very similar with their new headphones in making surrounding sound disappear.
Emoto has found a way to measure the vibration or wavelength of the origin of disease or stress in a person. Then he exposes a bottle of water to the directly opposing wavelength, which the patient will drink and thus cancel the vibration, healing the disease or any imbalance! The water is penetrating at a sub-atomic level-we are 70% water.
Part of my long-distance healing is to clairvoyantly discover the exact emotion or issue that is blocking a client’s life force or creating illness. Then I de-energize that negative emotion to initiate a healing or unblock the flow energy. Then I energize the opposing positive emotion. But it didn’t occur to me to have my client write the positive emotion that I clairvoyantly get on a bottle of water and drink it!! Ahhaaaa!!! In addition, I could also use my clairvoyance to estimate how many millions of vibrations per second of positive universal counterclockwise energy (p.u.c.e) to energize the “word” with. Also writing this on the bottle. Then each week, do another reading and make adjustments to the word/phrase and amount of p.u.c.e.

A birthday mind-body experience

Yesterday was my 60th birthday and I had a fabulous day! The day began with phone calls from my children, mother, and sister. During the day, I went to jury duty but was released early and spent the afternoon preparing for a little party that my friend Crystal put on for me. We invited lots of friends and a wonderful variety of my friends showed up! This video is of my dear friend Barbara playing a birthday song for me on the piano. It was a beautiful rendition of "Morning Has Broken" and it was a pure expression of love that brought me great pleasure and an immense sense of gratitude for my dear friend! Hope you enjoy it too!

Music vs Valium: Are they evenly matched?

Well, check this research:
Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2007 Jun-Jul;54(6):355-8.

[Music versus diazepam to reduce preoperative anxiety: a randomized controlled clinical trial]
[Article in Spanish]
Berbel P, Moix J, Quintana S.
Departamento de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Clínica del Dolor del Hospital Mutua de Terrassa, Barcelona.
OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of music to that of diazepam in reducing preoperative anxiety. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomized to 2 groups to receive diazepam or listen to music on the day of surgery and the previous day. Just before the operation, anxiety was assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were also recorded. RESULTS: Two hundred seven patients were enrolled. No significant differences in any of the outcome measures (anxiety, cortisol level, heart rate, or blood pressure) were found between the 2 groups (music vs sedative). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that music is as effective as sedatives for reducing preoperative anxiety.

The Music of Celtic Woman!

I am basking in the beauty of the concert I went to over 48 hours ago and I still cannot get enough of their music. Have you seen "Celtic Woman?" They are a fantastic group of beautiful Irish women that sing from th heart in a way I have never heard before. I've been told that we humans tend to respond to the music of the country from which our ancestors came. That ancient music is literally remembered in our DNA. If that's true, I must have lots of ancestors from Ireland because this music moves me in a way that I cannot ever remember feeling. I want to laugh, cry, dance and sing and I noticed that everyone around me at the Palace Theater in Louisville seem to be feeling the same! If you have a chance to hear "Celtic Woman" do NOT miss it!!

Music and the Mind-Body Connection

Do you believe that music can connect the mind and body? I sure do because it happens to me every day. When I was in college I discovered at one point that when I was studying for a music history exam I could remember a specific piece by always sitting in the same place when I listened to it. At exam time, I could hear Prokofiev's 5th symphony, opus 100 (for example) and know immediately that that was my kitchen table piece or my den rocking chair piece or my bedroom piece. My ear/brain/mind was inseparately connected to my memory of my body and there was no question about which piece I was listening to. To this day, I can listen to the Dvorak cello concerto and remember exactly how my dorm room at Florida State looked. That was the first place I heard that gorgeous piece and I listened to it over and over there. Same with Kodaly's "Hary Janos Suite," and William Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast." Music is powerful for me and for you. How can you harness that power to make your life better??

The Music of a Child

This afternoon I had a powerful musical experience. What is it about the profound innocence of a child that moves us to tears? A friend sent me this youtube video of little 6 y.o. Scottish girl, trying out for the "Britian's Got Talent" show. Her voice is pure as an angel when she sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." As you listen to this, notice within yourself what feelings and memories and thoughts sweep over you. And enjoy!

Christmas Eve in Our Nation's Capitol

Greetings from our nation's capitol!! I've had a wonderful holiday visiting my daughter Allison and her husband in Washington, D.C. The music has been awesome during the two times I went to the National Cathedral. The first time was the Lessons and Carols on Friday night and then yesterday morning's 11:15 service. The choir there is simply heavenly and I heard many beautiful anthems, carols and solos that I had only heard on CD's before! For me, it's the music that makes the season come to life for me and I have had a musical feast this year. One piece that stands out for me was an organ fantasia on "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella" at the national cathedral on Friday night. Please enjoy the fantastic music this holiday season!!

What does Christmas Music do to us?

For me, there is something magical about certain holiday music. Last week-end, when I was in S.C. visiting my mother for her 82nd birthday. At her retirement center, I had occasion to hear several different music boxes playing Christmas music. The one in this little video clip was particularly charming and brough back memories of childhood Christmases and dreams of Santa bringing all the toys I ever wanted.

Music does that! It literally transports you to another time and place and for a moment you are time traveling. You will notice at the end of this video that I was brought back into the present suddenly by "someone" asking me if I'm ready to go! Enjoy! BTW, in this little video you'll see the decorations that won my mother first place in the center's holiday decorating contest!

Final Luvisi-Bach Recital Tonight

Tonight was the final concert by Lee Luvisi, my piano professor of 35 years ago! He has been performing all 48 preludes and fugues from Bach's "Well-Tempered Klavier." The series took four weeks with one concert each week. These preludes and fugues are masterpieces of contrapuntal music and he played them all masterfully. The most amazing piece to me was the double fugues in G# minor that he played tonight. It was as complex as a fugue can get and has not only 5#'s but also F double #!!
Everytime I go to hear Lee play it brings back floods of memories from when he was my piano professor and all the pearls of wisdom that he taught me and that I pass along to others on a daily basis.
He's retired from U of L now but he obviously will be playing for decades to come! If you ever have a chance to hear him,don't miss it!

Lee Luvisi, my former teacher, will play tonight!

Tonight I will go to the University of Louisville School of Music to hear my former piano professor play a recital of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. I have been looking forward to this for a long time because not only is Luvisi a superb pianist, but Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is one of the great masterpieces of the keyboard literature.
Well, I'm back now and it was simply gorgeous. Words simply cannot describe the beauty of this music and the sheer genius it represents. Luvisi is going through all 48 preludes and fugues in chromatic order over a four-week period. Tonight he played the first 8 preludes and fugues from Bk. I. The D Major Prelude and the final G Major prelude were my favorites but really each one is just gorgeous. These pieces were written for the harpsichord but many modern pianists play them on the piano and I believe that Bach would have approved! Stay tuned for next week's report!

Take Note...The Music Cure

Everybody know music makes them feel better, right? Is there anyone out there who doesn't know that? Lest there be any questions, there are more and more people publishing studies every day saying that music can heal, music can cure, music can just make you feel better and forget your troubles for a little while, right?
Well now, a new article by Barbara Reuer has come out and was published recently in "Bottom Line Secret." I thought you might enjoy seeing a little of it:
Music has been used for healing for thousands of years -- and numerous recent studies confirm its healing powers. It can reduce pain and anxiety and improve blood pressure and breathing. It even can help infants in neonatal intensive care units gain weight faster. Here’s how you can use music to improve your mental and physical health...
PAIN RELIEF
Music therapy can relieve pain and decrease the need for painkilling drugs. It seems to be most effective for short-term pain, such as during dental procedures, after surgery, etc. A study published in European Journal of Anesthesiology reported that postsurgical patients who listened to music required less morphine.
It also helps some types of chronic pain. A study published in Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to music for an hour a day reduced chronic pain by up to 21% and depression by up to 25%.
How it helps: People in pain can’t focus on opposing sensations simultaneously. Listening to music helps block the perception of pain signals and reduces anxiety, which can heighten pain.
Recommended: When you’re in pain, practice deep breathing while listening to a favorite piece of relaxing music. Ask your doctor to play calming background music during painful procedures. If a music therapist is available during the procedure, he/she might play music while guiding you through a visualization exercise (such as imagining a peaceful scene) or encouraging you to breathe more deeply.
HEART HELP
Music therapy is used in some coronary care units to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Music also lowers levels of stress chemicals (such as cortisol) that increase the risk for a heart attack.
Recommended: At least once a day, listen to music that you find relaxing. Pay attention to the melodies, rhythms and words... think about what the music means to you... and notice the physical signs of relaxation.
There's more but this gives you a good idea of the work that has been done in this field to document how music affects the mind and the body. Enjoy!!

The Joy of Hearing a Former Student Play

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of hearing my former student sing and play at a venue in St. Petersburg, Florida! Lisa sang and played guitar beautifully and energetically and soulfully and I was filled with pride and admiration for all the hard work she has done and how it is now paying off for her. Lisa studied with me several decades ago at University of Kentucky, Jefferson Community College and also for a few summers at Indiana University Southeast. Soooooooooo, practice those instruments and train your voice if you want to be in a really cool band like Lisa!

Music Therapy in the Hospital

At Princess Margaret Hospital in Ontario, Canada, a program of alternative and complimentary therapies is being start. Pet therapy, massage, art therapy and movement therapy are quite popular in hospitals around the world. Considerable research has been done on these modalities, all with excellent results. The therapeutic benefits of music are also well noted. According to the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, music's nonverbal, creative and emotional qualities can facilitate a therapeutic relationship between patient and caretaker. Discussion of selected lyrics or rhythms that represent a patient's experience promotes wellness and improves communication. Certain techniques including song-writing, improvisation and song selection mirror patient thought-processes and solidify feelings about their illness. While music therapy is available in the atrium each Wednesday, the palliative care program at Princess Margaret Hospital hopes to launch music therapy this fall for individual patients on the inpatient unit.
A debilitative state of fatigue is among the most common side effects experienced by upwards of 72 per cent of all cancer patients undergoing treatment. To help patients reap the benefits of recreational activities, Princess Margaret Hospital will be meeting with recreational therapy practitioners to establish a recreational therapy program that will engage patients and compliment cancer treatment.
Therapies that address all issues felt by palliative patients along their journey are an integral part of the next generation in cancer treatment. Complementary therapy is gaining power alongside medical advancements thanks to Princess Margaret Hospital's leading example of research translating into clinical settings.

Does Bach's Music have a Regenerative Effect?

I found this posting today on another blog, "Musings of a Pertinacious Papist," and thought you might enjoy it!

There is an interesting article by Avis O. Gachet, "A Walk with the Master" (Charlotte Observer, August 8, 2007), which carries the subtitle "In times of trouble, teens turn to music. Let's hope it's Bach." Gachet, a personal friend from far back in Hickory, relates how the music of Bach -- especially his Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra (BWV 1043) -- sustained her during her dark night of the soul many years ago. She says that Bachs music had a healing and regenerative effect on her, not only elevating her spirits, but sorting out her priorities and consoling her soul. "I am talking about something alsmost mystical," she says. She then contrasts the music of Bach with the genres popular with the younger generation today, worrying that they lack the guiding capacities of the old Master, of whom she says: "He did not lead me astray." In light of Plato's reflections on the power of music in the Republic, I cannot help wondering whether Gachet has hit upon something profound. One thing is certain to me, and that is the truth that good music is more than what one happens to like. What makes music good or bad lies significantly in the objective properties of the music itself.

What about "Good Vibrations"?

from http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/08/10/the-daily-turn-on-good-vibrations/
Did you know ... We are emotionally, physically and spiritually impacted by what we hear? Every molecule in the universe (ourselves included) is in a constant state of vibration. Every single organ, tissue and bone in our body is constantly communicating through vibration. When our bodies are vibrating harmoniously with one another, we are in a state of health. A disconnect within our vibrations is indicative of disease. We can actually utilize our sense of sound to create harmonious vibrations within the body by projecting the correct resonant frequency of the particular body part that is out of balance. Music can play a key factor in healing through sound, as it has a direct influence on the limbic system, which is the area of the brain that governs emotions.

Meditations that incorporate mantras and specific sounds, such as om or aum, utilize self-created sounds to enhance spiritual and emotional well being. Vowel sounds and harmonics seem to be especially effective on the limbic system for healing. Next time your friend says she will send you some good vibes -- listen up! You just may feel better.

Try it out ... Next time you feel stressed out (even if you are at work) go to a quiet place, close your eyes and listen to soothing music -- I recommend Mozart. Or, even better, close your eyes and softly hum the om mantra. As awkward as you may feel at first, you will almost instantly feel better!How did it work? Tell us about your experience. What music or sounds help you to relax. What are your favorite meditations? Is there advice you can offer based on your own experience with sound therapy?

How strong is YOUR mind-body connection?

Do you know how powerfully your mind and body is connected? And it's not as though you can do anything about it. Our minds and our bodies are inseparably connected and the more we recognize that fact and acknowledge it's truth the more we can begin to be healthier!
One aspect of this is that the music we listen to affects how we react to life. This can be good and bad. If a young person listens to violent "gangsta Rap" that talks about "killing a cop" and if he has a violent home life with little if any supportive parenting, there is a good chance that he will respond to this music by committing a violent act. Studies have been done documenting this.
On the other hand, if we listen to melodious, uplifting music, whether it has lyrics or not, our bodies release serotonin and endorphins and we are flooded with feelings of peacefulness and well-being. Which will you choose?

Another visit with a former professor!

I'm not sure what's going on, but recently I've had the pleasure of spending some time with several different former professors from the University of Louisville School of Music. Today I had Richard and Cecile Spalding in my home for lunch and it was so good to see them again! Professor Spalding directed the U of L chorus when I was there in the late 60's, early 70's and I distinctly remember performing Poulenc's Gloria for Chorus and Two Pianos my senior year in college. Of course I was playing one of those two pianos! It was so much fun and such a beautiful piece of music!

While he was here, we also watched the video documentary that was created from my Ph.D. dissertation about "Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord: A Reassessment." The name of the documentary is "Uncommon Visionary" and won awards at the Boston Early Music Festival when it first came out. You can buy it on my website if you're interested! Enjoy!

Hey, hey, hey...it's my birthday!

Hey, hey, hey! It's my birthday! I've had an awesome day with cake, ice cream, phone calls, cards and ecards from all over the planet. I've had a fabulous breakfast, lunch and dinner and had loads of people buy my birthday special. What more could a girl want? Well, assuming that a complete face lift is not an option, I would love to introduce 10 new people each day to the concepts of healing music. If people would just take a moment to read all of the research and documentation not to mention examine their own reactions to music, they would know that music is powerful and can quickly change mood and emotions. When mood and emotion and changed from negative to positive, amazing things happen: the immune system improves, the biorhythms stabilize and people begin to see and feel a ray of hope.

If you don't have this basic information, you music order this special deal from me to you...immediately! You won't regret it!

Keep your brain singing!

Alice

Please check out my Birthday Package for you!