Blessing or Bane?
Music as an aid to Study:
During a lecture on study I was asked about listening to music as an aid to study. I prefer silence, because subconsciously the attention tends to switch backwards and forwards between study and music. The competing signals interfere with concentration. On the other hand, sometimes music can help – for instance, in a noisy environment it can act as ‘white noise’, helping to mask an even greater distraction caused by other interference. Such music needs to be carefully selected, so radio is not a suitable source of music, it too, can be distracting.
Dr John Diamond M.D., an Australian researcher, and at one time President of the International Academy of Preventative Medicine, found that certain ‘musical’ rhythms are very physically and mentally disruptive. He specifically singled out Rock and Rap, and other music with an interrupted beat. He pointed out that the uneven pulse of the music was out of sync with the body’s pulse, and leads to increased weakness, increased stress, and restlessness. Even blocking the ears does not help, because our bodies also pick up and respond to the beat. He found that students' results improved considerably when they stopped listening to Rock while studying.
On the other hand, it has been found that listening to some forms of music – Baroque for instance, such as selections from composers like Mozart – can be beneficial in the classroom or study. Their rhythms are more in harmony with the body’s rhythm. Select the andante-type movements, and use them only as quiet background music.
Another interesting study came up with the finding that children who undergo musical training have a better recall than those who have none. As much as 16%. It's not the instrument, but the mental discipline and exercise which appears to be the key factor. As the researcher, Dr Agnes Chan, suggested, 'It might be good practice to have your kids learn music when they are young'.
Music, of the right sort, is also recommended as a means of reducing or controlling stress - which is an important element in successful study and learning - both positive & negative.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the index and link to all the other pages in this web.
THE RHYTHM OF LEARNING
Music to the Aid of Learning
Professor Jacquelyn Millman, a language professor at the University of Guam, has been successfully using a method called Suggestopedia, an Accelerated Learning system, to teach the local language – Chamorro.
Bulgarian psychiatrist, Dr George Lozanov, developed Suggestopedia. It is used by the USA State Department to teach its employees foreign languages.
Dr Lozanov believed that much of the brain’s learning potential can be tapped effectively through music, based on research indicating that the brain absorbs information faster if it is presented rhythmically than it does other information. (See Study Guide Note on Pattern in memorization, and on page seventeen about pattern in memory)
Based on this belief, Lozanov developed a program of learning by setting it to slow, rhythmic music.
Students can try blending what they are learning with any soft background music they may play while studying – pacing the material with the rhythm of the music. This is in keeping with the Study Guide that points out that pattern is a key factor in learning and memory. (again refer to page seventeen)
Music Lessons boost memory & brain function: Laurel Trainer, professor of psychology, neuroscience & behaviour, at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, reported, 'Children taking music lessons improved more over the year on general memory skills that are correlated with non-music abilities such as literacy, verbal memory, mathematics and IQ - it is probably training the attentional system.' . (20.09.06) This confirms earlier studies at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, which came up with the same result some years ago. This has been confirmed by further Canadian studies reported 14.10.06: students learning music the Suzuki way were scanned, and after 12 months their IQ increased, memories worked better, and word-processing and maths skills improved, compared with students who did not learn music.
A NEW STUDY at Walt Whitman college music department shows that music accelerates mental development. Local piano teacher, Kathy Brake, has found a positive correlation between musical training and brain development. The many skills used, including visual perception and finger coordination, and using both hands differently but at the same time. Playing music makes the brain work harder as it deciphers a myriad of different bits of information simultaneously, and turns them into music.
Updated May 2008
How to Learn Faster, and Remember More. Energy, Pattern, and Resonance are the Keys to Memory, and Accelerated Learning.
The Accelerated Learning Study Guide.
Find out about the author of this program of Accelerated Learning.
Order your copy of the Guide to Accelerated Learning.
Page Six: Should you listen to music while you study?
Page
Seven:
The
sleep you get each night is important for your brain development, and
memory – see what medical experts have to say.
Page
Eight:
Making
use of
the knowledge you memorize is
part of the learning and understanding process.
See what the Nobel Prize winning Physicist, Professor Richard Feynman, has to say about his experience.
Page Nine:
Some students have
trouble working with numbers, which are the basis of
mathematics.
The numbers game, NUMERO, has proved a winner worldwide in
helping people think faster with numbers.
Page Ten:
Want a
photographic memory?. This page explains
how you can improve yours.
Page Eleven: Memory Pill? Food for Thought - dietary supplements that can boost brain power and memory.
Page Twelve:
READING -
Fluent reading is essential for Accelerated Learning
Education - Poor Reading explained with exercises to overcome the
Problem.
Page Thirteen:
STRESS -
Its affect on Memory: How stress helps or hinders memory and
examinations.
Page Fourteen:
JOB SEARCH - CAREER PLANNING -
What to consider when planning a career and its future prospects.
A Look inside the Study Guide:
Pages – 15 to 20 – are six ‘windows’ into the Study Guide, how and why it works.
Page Sixteen: Window Two: Brain, Mind & Memory – a ‘Learning Machine’
Page
Eighteen:
Window
Four:
Parents
–
Family Learning
Twenty One:
News Archive
Page Twenty Two: Training within Industry – Workplace Training – Vocational Training
Page Twenty Three:
Truth & Memory - treat
everything you see and hear with a healthy scepticism.
Page Twenty Four:
Drugs
& Memory - Prescription & recreational drugs.
Page Twenty Five:
Violence:
A growing problem in schools. Violence is Learned Behaviour. Video games and TV
can teach violence.
Page Twenty Six: The Evolution of Scientific Thought:
Page Twenty Seven: An e-book on Understanding & Managing Stress
Links Page:
Shared links between websites that
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