Music classes in childhood may lead to changes in the brain_美文

Music classes in childhood may lead to changes in the brain

Every sound we hear has a main or “fundamental” frequency. This helps us determine the “pitch”. In music, that helps us decide if one sound, or musical note, is higher or lower than another. So, for a musician…

“The responses to this fundamental frequency that carries pitch information was simply larger in magnitude…the voltages…the electrical activity was larger in response to these pitch elements.”

Professor Kraus says the people tested in the experiment could have been listening to any kind of sound, or any kind of music. They could even have been asleep. She could still see how their brains were understanding and identifying what they were hearing.

So now we know that the brains of musicians are different from those of other people. What is the big deal? Why is this important? According to Nina Kraus, that matters a lot as we get older. Many people notice that, as the years go by, their hearing gets worse. Just hearing an old friend’s voice in a noisy place can be difficult. But if you have ever played a musical instrument…

“Your nervous system automatically gets good at responding to sounds that the brain has learned are important.”

So … … …

“If you’re talking to me in a noisy restaurant and my nervous system is very good at locking onto the sound of your voice, then I’m going to be better able to understand what it is that you say.”