Why Music Causes Memories

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more Memories we have of it.”

— Stevie Wonder

This ability of music to bring up clear and emotional memories is a phenomenon well-known to medical doctors and brain researchers. Music can trigger intense recollections from the past. It can trigger our senses, even such senses as taste and smell. It can also provoke strong emotions and memories from early life experiences. But why?

"Music can take you back in time, as well as act like a jolt of electricity that can fire up your brain and get it going," says Andrew Budson, chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology at Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. "We all have the familiar experience of going back to our hometown, visiting our high school, and feeling the memories come flooding back. Music provides an auditory and emotional setting that allows us to retrieve all those memories."

The Different Types of Memory

• When we perform music, we use "procedural" memory.  This is a type of long-term "implicit" memory, which is the unconscious ability to remember a habit or routine we can do every day without thinking about it, such as riding a bike or brushing our teeth.

• Episodic memory is a type of long-term "explicit" memory, which is a conscious recollection and is what your brain uses to remember — for example, items on your shopping list.  

Both implicit and explicit are types of long-term memory — procedural memory is unconscious and effortless.  Episodic memory requires conscious work to remember.

In healthy brains, episodic memory allows you to be transported back in time to a specific event or time when you listen to a piece of music. Episodic memory originates in the brain's hippocampus region, which "is the first to go" when dementia hits.

While the ability to sing or make music is procedural memory, meaning you don't have to deliberately think about what you're doing.  Research has shown that Alzheimer's attacks the hippocampus first, explaining why procedural memory still enables dementia patients to remember lyrics and perform - it's an entirely different memory system.

Patients with Alzheimer's can still experience the music "time travel" episodic memory phenomenon even after the disease has attacked their hippocampus; as long as those episodic memories are more than two years old and have been 'consolidated, they can be accessed even though the hippocampus has been destroyed.

And this is why people with Alzheimer's can recall stuff from their childhood but not remember what they had for lunch or whom they saw yesterday. 

 A well-known recent example has been that of legendary singer Tony Bennett, 96, who, in the throes of Alzheimer's, could still flawlessly perform his classic hits. That is awesome!

We know there is power in music, but today's research shows how powerful it is. We don't just hear a song once, we encode that memory, and deeply encoded music can unlock memories. Just another reason to study and play music!!

The Impact of Music How Music Can Heal Your Heart

“Music is therapy. Music moves people.
It connects people in ways that no other medium can.
It pulls heartstrings. It acts as medicine.”

— Maklemore

Music has always been a powerful tool for stress reduction, relaxation, sleep, and drug-free pain management. In addition, new research provides continuing evidence for the healing power of music as Heart medicine.  Research suggests that music can heal the Heart.

Music can alter your brain chemistry, and these changes may produce cardiovascular benefits, as evidenced by numerous studies. For example, studies have found that listening to music may:

• Enable people to exercise longer during cardiac stress testing on a treadmill or stationary bike.

• Improve blood vessel function by relaxing arteries.

• Help heart rate and blood pressure levels to return to baseline more quickly after physical exertion.

• Ease anxiety in heart attack survivors.

• Help people recovering from heart surgery to feel less pain and anxiety and sleep better.

Music changes our heart rates, breathing, and blood pressure and alters our heart rate variability, which are cardiac and mental health indicators.

Did you know that the human heartbeat provided the standard measure for "musical timing" until the mid-19th century? After that, it was replaced by a mechanical metronome. A metronome is a device that produces an audible click at an interval set by the user. Set to "BPM" or beats per minute, musicians use this device to practice playing music to a regular pulse or rhythm.

Music moves us. It does so because music is part of our deep primal intuition related to our heartbeat.

The very distinctive rhythms in Beethoven's music closely resemble those of heart rhythm disorders. Cardiologists speculated that these rhythms might be transcriptions of Beethoven's possible heart arrhythmia—perhaps a result of the awareness of his heartbeat - enhanced by his deafness.

For cardiac patients, music-based interventions can modulate cerebral blood flow, reduce pre-operative anxiety and post-operative stress, improve surgery outcomes, and lower cortisol levels.  In addition, music interventions significantly affected heart rate and blood pressure in coronary heart disease patients. 

And sound processing begins in the brainstem, which controls the rate of your heartbeat and respiration.  This connection explains why relaxing music may lower heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure — and also seems to ease pain, stress, and anxiety.

Physiological feedback studies and how we respond to music can also help us shape the music to influence listeners' heart rates and breathing, such as increasing or slowing it down.

And, with the widespread adoption of biofeedback devices, tailoring music interventions to individual cognitive or neural-cardiac states is now well within reach, enabling a "musical prescription" for improved mental and physical well-being.

Music should be part of every physician's toolkit, as evidenced by all this research. So maybe next time you visit your doctor, he will ask if you are ready to take music lessons!

Give the Gift of Music and join us for A Winter Wonderland In Our New Theatre in San Marcos

“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.”

— Lyrics to the song “Winter Wonderland.

Have you decided on a gift for your loved ones this holiday season?

Gift-giving has always been a part of our culture, along with decorating and celebrations. Much research has been done about what makes a meaningful gift memorable for both the recipient AND the giver. We have found that music is THE gift that keeps on giving and a wonderful gift for both young and older students!

Giving experiences rather than objects is the best gift to give. Research shows that people who receive experiential gifts feel more connected to the gift giver than people who receive material items. It is also fascinating that the giver and the recipient do not have to share the experiential gifts to receive a connectivity effect. And the gift can be for a friend or family member of ANY age!!!

Our Top 5 reasons to give Music Lessons or Recording Studio time:

1. It’s a lasting, memorable gift that will put a song in their hearts and a smile on their faces, and it’s one of the easiest gifts you can give.

2. You can give the gift to anyone of any age and for any instrument, and you can gift Recording Studio time too!

3. Music for Toddlers is movement, music, play, dancing, storytime, and more – all rolled up in one great experience. Early childhood music classes enhance a child’s development in every area.

4. Music makes kids smarter – the research proves it! Music classes, especially Group Classes, inspire lots of time together and bonding.

5. Music Schools are where people of all ages, all temperaments, and all learning styles can flourish. That special someone in your life will have something to look forward to each week!

We sell a Christmas stocking loaded with fun musical items and a gift certificate for your loved one each year. So many of our clients say that their friend or family member is still taking lessons after receiving their gift two years ago!!! What a great gift!!

I cannot speak for every musician or music lover on the planet, but I enjoy receiving practical gifts - things I can start using immediately.  

And…. for all things memorable and joyful this Holiday Season, we are having a “Winter Wonderland” extravaganza at our new Theatre in San Marcos.  

We have a professional decorator coming in the first week of December to install decorative lighting, Christmas Trees, lights, wreaths, and music, creating a magical experience for loved ones and clients!  

They will remain up the whole month, so if you want a magical experience and want to tour our new Theatre check us out. Professional decorative lighting and beautiful displays greatly enhance the memorable experience of this joyous and wonderful time of the year!

Group & Private Music Classes And Why They Rock!

“I think one of the things which always is forgotten in music class,
Is the first thing you have to do as a musician,
is you have to learn how to listen.”

— Hans Zimmer

Music helps us express ourselves emotionally and creatively! Budding musicians must learn to practice by themselves but will also benefit from group and private lessons. We realize both types of lessons have numerous advantages and hope this article will help you see the benefits of both!

Private Lessons

Highlights

Private lessons are suitable for anyone interested in personalized feedback. Private lessons mean unique and individualized attention. For example, you can ask questions or repeat musical phrases that are giving you trouble without interrupting the flow of a group class.

Challenges

Taking a private lesson is just that — private. You won’t be surrounded by other budding musicians looking to make connections with other students and reflect with others while learning. Group settings offer the unique option to study how your peers tackle challenging sheet music or instrument-related problems.

Group Lessons

Highlights

Working with an ensemble makes you invested in others’ growth and your own. You will learn that each student makes errors, and group lessons will teach you valuable skills to work constructively with others. You will learn how to stay in rhythm with everyone and perfect your part of a song to improve the sound of the entire group. 

Ensemble-style practices have perks of their own. Groups are a lot of fun and offer opportunities for exciting collaborations. And in the end, you will eventually be playing with other musicians, so a group class prepares you for that inevitability!

Challenges

Private lessons offer endless opportunities for individualized feedback, but group lessons do not have the same flexibility. Group lessons remain focused on the needs and progress of the group. You will not have the opportunity to stop an entire lesson to repeat a difficult phrase several times. You will have to make a note to practice that item on your own after class.

Instruction is beneficial no matter whether you take private or group classes.  Private lessons are excellent for students who want tailored instruction and one-on-one time with their teachers. 

Group lessons, by comparison, are excellent for those looking for collaborative, ensemble-style practices and performances. These students will learn a lot from their teachers and fellow musicians, some of whom may already be active in the music scene and be able to provide invaluable advice.  As a musician, you will eventually always play with other musicians, so we highly recommend you sign up for this type of lesson!

If you’re ready to sign up for a private or group music lesson, there’s only one thing left to do - call Leading Note Studios today for more information on both our Private & Group Classes. 

We can’t wait to start you on your musical journey.