This article delves into the transformative impact of music education, particularly for underserved students, and a strategic tool for addressing academic challenges, boosting attendance, language skills, and social integration.

New research suggests that playing instruments and singing may support brain health as we age. A study found that engaging in musical activities, especially playing keyboard instruments, correlates with improved memory and cognitive function later in life.

This article dives into the history and enduring vitality of the Brisbane City Pops Orchestra who have recently celebrated their milestone 50th-anniversary performance. The orchestra boasts a diverse ensemble of musicians spanning generations, including members who have been involved since the beginning.

This study found that people who learned for more than 10 years didn’t have any differences compared with the control group, but they did find the late-life cognitive benefits of early musical training…

How efficiently is your brain working today? Music learning trains the brain to use fewer brain resources when compared with non-musically trained people (and in this case those who are also bilingual).

Most people enjoy listening to music, but some people do not. For some, music just does not do much; either emotionally or cognitively. Studies around how people experience music can help us understand the mechanisms behind the enjoyment of music.

It is hard to conceptualise that our brain waves can be in sync or out of sync. Yet this concept of brain wave synchronisation is fascinating to neuroscientists as they are finding that the more consistent the synchronisation, meaning the longer our brain waves can stay in sync, the more effectively we can learn.

One of BBB’s favourite researchers, Dr Patricia Izbicki, has done all the hard work for us and summarised the five great reasons why music learning is the childhood experience that just keeps on giving well into our later life.

Ever wondered what that tingling sensation in your brain or on your scalp is called when you listen to music? We hadn’t wondered, but we feel better now that we know. It’s called the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). We probably won’t remember that long name or the acronym but “head orgasm” is a term that won’t be forgotten.

The location of neuromusical research tends to lend itself to the study of music learning through the Western Art Music genre. This has been useful when it comes to the ability to compare research study findings but not as useful when it comes to our understanding of the impact of non-Western Art Music genre on brain development.

One of the challenges with neuromusical research is that it can be so technical that it is hard to connect what the studies find with what it could mean in the “real world”. This study is a perfect example with the title “Gamma-Band Frequency Analysis and Motor Development in Music-Trained Children: A Cross-Sectional Study”

Drummers, very unfairly, can be the target of some pretty mean jokes and stereotypes. For example, What do you call a drummer with half a brain? Gifted!