Music to work to

We've seen this pop up a few times over the last couple of weeks - the use of music to enhance professional training sessions.  The major issue is getting the team used to a loud and noisy environment - which is what game day will feel like - but the choice of music is also fast tempo high energy - which certainly helps too!

Clearly I have found this to be true in my own experience! ;-pppp

Some good data here backed by some decent numbers - although a little short on why - there's evidence that Shakespeare had it down when he wrote "If music be the food of love, play on..."

Lotharios, start your plucking...

It's not surprising to see this article - with the growing amount of evidence on the positive effects of music it was only a matter of time before coaches looking for an edge dipped a toe in.  Interesting that it doesn't work for everyone and that it's more about "head space" and focus than it is about aligning any physical momentum - but hey - whatever works...

Although there's no indication of sample size and there are so many variables unaccounted for it doesn't feel terribly "scientific" -   the results are intriguing!  It makes sense that feel good music will make people feel good, and the better you feel the more generous you feel - but the idea that pro social songs can raise wait staff's income by 8% is pretty cool!

We caught this three years ago when it first came out but it's worth looking at again.  Another small study, only 36 participants, but the method looks rock solid.  There's definitely something about synchronicity and rhythm when it comes to music and brain function - I'd love to see this research developed further.  

This is a good looking study - 483 1st year female college students participated over the full year - and while the headline that Social Media use has a negative impact on GPA will no doubt get all the attention, it's nice to see that Music, once again, has been found to have a positive effect.

This is horribly written up and it's a small sample but what I get from it is that they've identified common areas in the brain that respond to music and are hypothesizing that as we all share these areas - it allows us to move together - ...yeah....

This is more about explaining the ear's behavior after being exposed to loud music - the temporary loss of hearing is the body's natural defense mechanism and doesn't lead to long term damage.  However - sustained listening to high volumes is inevitably going to bugger your hearing up for good!

For once a fairly decent sized study with almost 300 premature babies in several different hospitals - research handled by the Louis Armstrong centre for music and medicine - good stuff!

There's something very British about this group but they absolutely have a point.  Plenty of studies show that unless you personally control what is on in the background the benefits are few.  I'd mark this as different from Julian Treasure and his "soundscaping" approach - but I'm all for removing the current crap from public spaces

Another small sample but more use of the fMRI to go hunt down where music "lives" in the brain.  We're still at the early stages of music study so the scientists are in the "ruling out" phases - this study shows that music exists as a separate brain activity than just random noise processing...

I love this - one teacher's account of using music in the classroom - to quote:

"The kids were on the edge of their seats, and I’ve never felt more alive as a teacher."

You go Jon Schwartz!

Sweet video from the UK on how vets are using music to calm patients pre-procedure.  Comes from good science although I'm a little suspect about the creation of species specific songs - I suspect any kind of calm instrumental music would work.

It is super exciting to read about the new developments in understanding music and the mind - this article gives insight into potential applications for treating and even reversing cognitive illnesses through understanding how music works in the brain.  Awesome!

A little old but this is great interview highlighting the basics and what you can do to unlock your own potential with the right music

With so many studies published recently it would make sense for the Smithsonian to publish a nce round up and summary as well as supply links out to the original articles - definitely lots going on in the world of music science and research 

It's fast becoming exam season and the interwebs will soon be filled with advice articles like this.  It always cracks me up - nothing in here is rocket science but sometimes you just need to be reminded to use your common sense.  Listening to music (relaxing music) comes in at number ten - clearly you should try some http://music2work2.com

Admittedly this is a tiny study and has more holes in its construction than a block of Swiss cheese, however - as a pilot study to identify whether to investigate further - it has some merit.  I'm not sure how I feel about it though - there's a case to be made for not creating artificial auditory environments for everyone and we know that the benefits gained from having music in the environment are significantly reduced if the individual cannot control the music - so - we'll see if this gets followed up on...

Tiny study of 11 people but super interesting results that playing music that is in sync with brain oscillations can facilitate memory retention.  Expect to see a crap load of websites offering "in sync" oscillatory music soon.  #caveatemptor!

This is a fabulous interview with author and musician and general all round dude David Rothenberg.  It looks at the "music" of insects and is well worth the 5 minutes it'll take you to read it!

We're seeing quite a few general articles on music and how it affects us recently - this one from CNN driven by Daniel Levitin is a good overview

Quite a few versions of this study in today's feed - we thought we'd go with the BBC - but you can also check out this slightly longer article here:

http://metronews.ca/news/canada/630029/brainwaves-predict-music-downloads-study/

basically - there's an area in the brain that fires off when listening to new music - however - not only that - but the intensity of the firing will indicate whether a person will not only buy that track, but also how much they're willing to pay. 

Record labels, stop what you're doing and go and see Valorie Salimpoor now!