Finally, that song that keeps playing on a loop inside our heads for no apparent reason has a name – stuck song syndrome! In this interview with neuroscientist and opera singer Indre Viskontas she explains what it is. “So, earworms are a term that we use for songs that get stuck in our heads. The […]

Do you have similar musical tastes to your friends? How about your work colleagues? Do you think musical tastes tell us anything else about a person? This study thinks it might when it compared musical taste with political leaning. The big five personality domains they are referring to are: Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious) […]

“Adults who engage in synchronous movement to music later report liking each other better, remembering more about each other, trusting each other more, and are more likely to cooperate with each other compared to adults who engage in asynchronous movements.” This could be why music festivals seem to be going from strength to strength, we […]

This is a fascinating idea – how do we fall in love with music? And as we age, why do we like music less? This article explains the biological concept very well. “We know that musical tastes begin to crystallize as early as age 13 or 14. By the time we’re in our early 20s, […]

Here is one of those research sentences that are so useful when we are explaining how music learning impacts on every child’s development. “The results suggest that systematic extracurricular programs, particularly music-based training, may accelerate the development of inhibitory control and related brain networks earlier in childhood.” This research paper is reporting on the progress […]

Imagine a music therapist and their patient wearing EEG caps. Imagine them working together and coming to a moment when the therapy was “working”. Imagine seeing the EEG signal suddenly change for the patient, and then seeing the same change in the therapist just afterwards. Imagine both the patient and therapist identifying afterwards that this […]

Music listening can change our mood, and that mood change can help us to learn, manage difficult emotions and deal with difficult life events. Researchers have tried to determine if certain genres of music are “better” than others for developing these vital life skills. This article highlights recent research into a genre you might not […]

What would the following behaviours look like in a preschooler? 1 – Inhibitory control: the aspect of inhibitory control that involves resisting temptations and not acting impulsively or prematurely – we would suggest wanting to snatch a toy from another child or jumping on to ask a question before the teacher finished delivering the instructions. […]

It has been widely publicised that the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the U.S. has just awarded the Sound Health Initiative $20 million over the next 5 years to look into the health and learning benefits of music and music learning. Read more about this in October’s member package! Firstly, this is an enormous […]