Music is to life, what oxygen is to the lungs. Have any of you considered living without music? We invite you to do a practical exercise: make a list of the original music composition that surrounds us excluding those intentional moments when we listen to it in the car, to work, etc.
Is it possible to live without music, if even the sound of smartphones is a melody or an advertisement has as a fundamental basis for its engagement a harmony that serves to establish an emotional link with the product?
Music is definitely part of our lives, from almost the very origins of our species… and it will accompany us forever, even before we are born.
Several studies have been devoted to address the influence that music has on the mother’s womb, based on the fact that the fetus is capable of hearing sounds from a certain stage of its development (it is estimated that it is between 8-12 weeks when it reacts to sounds and vibrations).
Among the benefits of the fact that the pregnant woman listens to music are related:
- Stimulates heart rate and brain activity
- Strengthens the bond between mother and baby
- Promotes well-being, etc.
In this line, several studies have been carried out in order to obtain scientific evidence regarding the exposure or not to music during the embryonic development. All of them reach the affirmation that benefits are produced at a neurological level that are evident and important for the subsequent phases of cognitive development after birth.
This conclusion is based on the evidence that original music composition favors neurogenesis, that is, the generation of new neurons. An increase in the number of neurons, will facilitate the cognitive processes of the individual and will help him/her to be exposed to suffer in less risk those diseases associated to neuronal death as for example Alzheimer.
When the musical stimulation of children and adolescents is an intentional process, in which the minors are not only passive agents before the hearing of certain musical pieces, the benefits increase.
Let’s see below some of the advantages that music education can have at a cognitive level:
- It favors the increase of mnemonic capacity, attention and concentration.
- It facilitates the resolution of mathematical problems and complex mental reasoning.
- It promotes new ways of expression and therefore, of channeling emotions.
- As it is an activity to be combined with dance or other physical activities, it favours muscular development, balance control, stimulation of several senses at the same time, etc.
- It is an inexhaustible source for the stimulation of creativity.
- It promotes better self-esteem.
- It facilitates personal bonds and the development of social skills.
- It contributes to speed up the speed with which the brain is able to process speech and therefore helps the child’s auditory system to be more efficient.
We hope that this post about the importance of listening to original music composition is helpful to understand the benefits it has for cognitive development.