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Is there a link between music and happiness?

May 14, 2019 - 10:04 PM BY MOLLY EDMONDS Enjoying a musical like "West Side Story" or "Singin' in the Rain" requires believing that it's perfectly plausible for people to begin singing and dancing during moments of extreme emotion. Be it the highs and lows of teenage love in "Grease" or the determination of a plucky orphan in "Annie," musical numbers provide insight into a character's state of mind. Take "The Sound of Music," in which twirling and singing atop a mountain is enough to help a potential nun who doesn't fit in at the convent find her bliss. That character would go on to teach the miracle of singing to seven unhappy children, and not even the dastardly deeds of the Nazis could get that family......

How Music Activates Our Brain's Reward Center

April 08, 2019 - 07:00 AM Researchers found that reward prediction errors from music correlated with activity in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region that in previous studies has been shown to activate when the subject is experiencing musical pleasure. Credit: Ben Gold If you love it when a musician strikes that unexpected but perfect chord, you are not alone. New research shows the musically unexpected activates the reward center of our brains, and makes us learn about the music as we listen. Researchers led by Ben Gold, a PhD candidate in the lab of Robert Zatorre at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital), of McGill University, put 20 volunteers through a musical reward learning task. Each......

How can music help people who have Alzheimer's disease?

April 02, 2019 - 07:00 AM Research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer's disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease. For example, music can: Relieve stress Reduce anxiety and depression Reduce agitation Music can also benefit caregivers by reducing anxiety and distress, lightening the mood, and providing a way to connect with loved ones who have Alzheimer's disease — especially those who have difficulty communicating. If you'd like to use music to help a loved one who has......

How music can help dementia patients recover some memory

March 26, 2019 - 07:00 AM ORLANDO, Fla. - Researchers found that music helps dementia patients recall emotions and memories. Alzheimers.net says by pairing music with everyday activities, patients can develop a rhythm to recall the memory of that activity, improving cognitive ability over time. A new case of dementia is diagnosed every three seconds, and doctors are still searching for answers. Dr. James Galvin, MPH, director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine explained to Ivanhoe, “If you look at all the things we know that may be associated with the risk of developing dementia, the two strongest are age and family history, and I can’t......

Wounded warriors 'SOAR,' find strength through music therapy

March 19, 2019 - 07:00 AM FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- To many Soldiers, the acronym SOAR represents Special Operations Aviation Regiment. For Soldiers in the Wounded Transition Battalion it is the Sounds of Acoustic Recovery music program.In an eight-week program, Wounded Warriors learn the basic music theory of voice lessons, guitar and piano, with an option of taking a beginner or intermediate course. "We aren't a type of program that pushes a lot of big numbers through," said 101st Airborne Division band member and SOAR instructor Sgt. Lee Lamb. "We're about finding those Soldiers that really connects with what we're doing and really benefits from it."Lamb said that learning to play an instrument helps Soldiers'......

Music Therapy and Military Populations

March 14, 2019 - 10:27 PM The profession of music therapy is rooted in service to America’s service members and veterans. As a professional organization representing 6,000+ music therapists nationwide and in some thirty countries around the world, AMTA has a tradition and steadfast commitment to providing service members access to high quality music therapy services and research. This commitment spans all phases of military service. In 1945, the U.S. War Department issued Technical Bulletin 187 detailing a program on the use of music for reconditioning among service members convalescing in Army hospitals. This program demonstrated how music could be incorporated in multiple therapeutic services including......

The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity

February 14, 2019 - 09:50 PM Brain training is big business. Companies like BrainHQ, Luminosity, and Cogmed are part of a multimillion-dollar business that is expected to surpass $3 billion by 2020. But does what they offer actually benefit your brain? Researchers don't believe so. In fact, the University of Illinois determined that there's little or no evidence that these games improve anything more than the specific tasks being trained. Luminosity was even fined $2 million for false claims. So, if these brain games don't work, then what will keep your brain sharp? The answer? Learning to play a musical instrument. Why Being a Musician Is Good for Your Brain Science has shown that musical......

How and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health How and Why Is Music A Good Tool For Health?

February 06, 2019 - 08:00 AM By Elizabeth Scott, MS Listening to music can be a quick route to getting yourself into a better mood, but it's becoming increasingly clear that there's much more to the benefits of music than just a quick boost for your outlook. Research has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of healthcare known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm......

Music For A Better Mood

January 30, 2019 - 08:00 AM Have you ever been in the worst mood but perked up instantly when you heard your favourite song? Perhaps your day had been going horrifically until you heard that song that always makes you smile. For me, it’s “All Of Me’by John Legend…What is yours? Before we get further into the topic of music to ease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, we should probably look at the symptoms that would generally accompany the condition. When you break things down into more manageable chunks, you will soon start to see a light at the end of the tunnel – a way for you to change certain things in your lifestyle to make life a bit easier. There are a lot of symptoms......

Live streaming concerts help the overstressed and overwhelmed find calm

January 29, 2019 - 06:55 PM The stress of daily life has a growing number of people around the world diving into a new streaming radio station - The River of Calm - Music to Soothe Your Soul. The River of Calm is an online music channel (www.riverofcalm.com) featuring tranquil, serene music from over 70 gifted independent artists, including pianists, vocalists, guitarists and more. In addition to music, the channel showcases news and articles about music, healing, affirmations, and meditation said Ed Bazel, who created the channel. It now is calming listeners in 155 countries and is available on Alexa, Android and Apple devices. “Musicians and artists have become therapists for the soul,” Bazel said.......

News

Is there a link between music and happiness?

How Music Activates Our Brain's Reward Center

How can music help people who have Alzheimer's disease?

How music can help dementia patients recover some memory

Wounded warriors 'SOAR,' find strength through music therapy

Music Therapy and Military Populations

The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity

How and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health How and Why Is Music A Good Tool For Health?

Music For A Better Mood

Live streaming concerts help the overstressed and overwhelmed find calm

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