"The People Speak" says hip-hop can affect social change

For hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco, deciding to accept the invitation to take part in “The People Speak” was easy.

“I realized it’s just an extension of what I normally do — upset the system,” he said.

Fiasco’s performance Tuesday night took place as a promotion of the upcoming documentary, “The People Speak,” which highlights the importance of social activism.

The event featured clips from the documentary, readings by Fiasco and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and a panel discussion featuring documentary producer Chris Moore and Penn sociology professor Tufuku Zuberi.

The theme of fighting social injustice dominated the performance, which began with Fiasco’s reading of Muhammad Ali’s protest against the Vietnam war and continued with McDaniels’ recitation of the lyrics of the Public Enemy song, “Fight the Power.”

Moore took the stage following McDaniels’ performance and gave the disclaimer that, “As you can probably tell, I do not represent rap in any way.”

He went on to explain the premise of “The People Speak,” which is based on Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States, which Zinn co-wrote with Anthony Arnove. The two authors, along with Moore and actors Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, executive-produced the film.

Excerpts of the film featured McDaniel’s reading of David Walker’s inflammatory abolitionist pamphlet, Appeal, which encouraged slaves to rebel against their masters.

The film also included Fiasco’s recitation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party’s Petition Against the War in Vietnam, Don Cheadle’s reading of Frederick Douglass’ West India Emancipation speech and John Legend’s performance of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” — a song condemning racism against African Americans in the United States.

Moore stressed that the messages of these texts are timeless.

“‘Power will never give up power without a struggle,’” he quoted from Cheadle’s reading of Douglass. “What we’re trying to say is that’s true always.”

McDaniels echoed this later when he addressed the problems of religion and politics in the U.S.

“You guys have the capacity to change the world,” he said. “It ain’t a politician that’s going to do it for you, it ain’t a preacher that’s going to do it.”

After denying his allegiance to either the Democratic or Republican parties, McDaniels declared himself a member of the “hip-hop” party, which he proclaimed embodies the idea of social responsibility.

Fiasco ended the night with a speech on “the union of struggle” — the bond forged by people united in opposition to injustice.

Of his experience working on the film, Fiasco simply said “It made me proud to be an American.”

Reflections on a Failed Music Career: Keep It in Context

Why Do We Listen to the Music That We Do?
This might sound like an unanswerable question, along the lines of "why do we
eat chocolate?" or "why are we attracted to Scarlett Johansson?" We presume desires related to food and sex are not rational, but innate appetites buried deep in our evolutionary programming. Our preference for certain kinds of music would seem the same: we don't think about it, we just like what we like.
If you are a musician, this question has added resonance. If you're playing music no one likes, you've got problems. If you're utterly clueless in predicting the fickle whims of the audience, you've got problems. Yes, I know, writing music with an eye towards audience appreciation or, God forbid, commercial success is "selling out" but get over yourself. Aren't you sick of Ramen noodles for breakfast?
Over at my article "The End of Rock Criticism?" I list some of the criterion that modern neuroscience has determined humans use to judge music. They are consonance/dissonance, familiarity/complexity, and contextualization. For an in-depth discussion of the first two, I recommend Chapter 8 in Daniel J. Levitin's book "This Is Your Brain on Music." In this piece, I'm going to focus on contextualization.

What is contextualization? In the world of computer programming, there is the notion of "metadata" which is essentially "data about data." In the process of using a computer program you might be asked to fill your name into a field. The program might then run a process that notes the date and time that field is saved. That date and time is metadata which captures an aspect of the data containing your name. You can think of contextualization as data describing music.
Let's consider the music of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". Most people would describe it as pretty, perhaps fluid music. But they also might term it, "upper-class" or even "snooty." How can this be? Music isn't a living creature that can exhibit the traits of upper-class snootiness. But we are aware that, historically speaking, "The Four Seasons" is often played for people who could be termed upper-class or snooty. It's more likely to be played in a metropolitan Symphony Hall then a punk club. (Of course, there are plenty of snooty punk rockers.) Wholistens to a piece of music and where it is played is fundamentally separate from the music itself. Who/where is metadata/contextualization about the raw data/music.To use a more modern example, let's consider Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady." The music itself could be described as bluesy, or amplified or aggressive, but it also has many disparate, nonmusical associations: the 60s, LSD, hippies, antiestablishmentarianism etc. Those terms define some of the contextualization of "Foxy Lady."
Let's define contextualization as "the application of social/cultural values to music." And let's ask the question, "does the contextualization of music affect whether or not I will listen to it?"Now, being that you're reading this esteemed website, I can tell that you're not a moron and have likely arrived at the answer on your own. Obviously, yes. But why does contextualization affect our choices in music? The answer has to do with the social aspects of music -- the subcultures associated with a particular form of music for example. This is because music is integrated into our social interaction. We go to concerts/discos/bars/clubs partly to hear music, but also to meet other humans. And even the act of listening to music alone helps us define ourselves ("I am a metalhead!"), which in turn affects who we choose to interact with.
By listening to music defined by certain kinds of contextualization, we are rewarded with various "social benefits." I will list the top three social benefits most people seek when listening to a certain kind of music.
1) Getting laid.
2) Getting laid.
3) Getting laid.
There are other, additional benefits: making friends (humans are social animals), meeting potential partners in commerce, and generally warding off boredom. But, as illustrated by the top three, we're driven to certain kinds of music by the same forces that drive us to do most things we do -- the desire to engage in acts that enable procreation and ensure the survival of our genetic material.
Some might take offense at this. "I'm only listening to music to have sex?!" they bemoan. "What about the intrinsic beauty of the melodies of Mozart, or the raucous call to action of the MC-5? Does not music serve more than just the base instincts, but the soul and the higher mind?"
Well, of course it does. And if we were listening to music only to get laid*, then we would pretty much like every song that came along within the right context, since one would be as good as any other. Obviously we do have emotional and intellectual reactions to music separate from its contextualization.* Some might argue that if sex drives our desire for music, people too old for sex wouldn't listen to music. Obviously that's a simplification the nature of genetic programming (it doesn't magically turn itself off once its "goals" have been achieved.) However, it is worth noting that people's taste in music do tend to change as they age, often towards styles of music that provide benefits more intellectual than sexual e.g. classical music or progressive jazz.
But let me ask you this: when was the last time you listened to Pakistani music? Or Hungarian music? Or traditional Japanese music? Unless you happen to be Pakistani or Hungarian or Japanese, the answer is probably somewhere close to "never." Are these cultures so artistically deprived that they are incapable of coming up with their own Mozarts, their own Beatles, their own Led Zeppelins, their own MC-5s? Possibly, but probably not. Our membership in specific cultures and subcultures doesn't completely control our taste in music, but it certainly points us to the pool of music we are likely to drink from. I don't listen to Pakistani music because I'm not likely to receive any social benefit from it --- most of my friends would simply think, "what's gotten into Wil?" For the same reason, a Pakistani man (living in Pakistan) is unlikely to listen to Ozzy Osbourne. (Being that Western music, American music in particular, has spread across the globe more thoroughly than other kinds of music, that previous sentence may not be true but the gist of it holds up.)
Okay, so our choice in music is driven by our culture. What determines our culture (or cultures)? A lot of factors, and they consequently affect the music we listen to as well. Let's examine a few...

• Race
  You're going to see more black faces at a hip-hop show than a country hoedown. You're good to see more Hispanics at a Tex-Mex concert than an opera.
  
• Gender 
  What's the difference between the audience members of the Lilith Fair and Ozzfest? Primarily what's between their legs.
  
• ClassWhen you walk up to the counter of a truck stop, you're not going to see a lot of Shostakovich CDs for sale. Conversely, the background music played at a pricey metropolitan restaurant is unlikely to be Social Distortion.
  
• Politics When the Dixie Chicks criticized George Bush they alienated a huge part of their existing fan base while simultaneously gaining a new group of fans, even though their music stayed exactly the same.

Obviously there are exceptions; there are plenty of blacks who love classical music, women who love metal, and upscale liberals who love Toby Keith. And we all have some exceptions in our personal tastes --- we tend to call these "the guilty pleasure." Ironically, though we are often ashamed of our guilty pleasures, we listen to them for the purest of reasons: we're not expecting a "social benefit," we simply like the music. (I make it a point to rarely feel guilty for anything, but it might surprise people to know I actually enjoy the Indigo Girls.)
The major musical trend of the 20 century was the decline of sophisticated classical music, and the rise of the pop song. The goal of pop music is obviously to be popular, and this is accomplished by essentially being non-cultural. Pop tends to utilize instruments and melodies and harmonies that avoid any association with a particular nation or group. There is, from the listener's point of view, no barrier to entry. In many ways, pop music has been decontextualized and is often considered un-authentic. But I'm no pop hater; I think pop's break from history and cultures often gives it a clean slate to work from, enabling quite bold experimentation.
On the other hand, "authentic" music --- real hip-hop, bluegrass, Algerian trance, experimental classical etc. --- does require an investment from its listeners before it can be appreciated. This music is loaded with contextualizations which will be lost on people from different cultures. And people who anticipate no social benefit from attempting to decipher such foreign music will rarely venture to explore it.
Some might say that uncovering the cultural forces which guide our musical tastes takes the magic out of music. And I admit there's something slightly uncomfortable about it. But one should always be wary of becoming too comfortable. If you find yourself taking a look at your music collection or the bands you frequent and questioning why you like them (or whether you even like them at all) that might nudge you towards music you really do enjoy. It may point you towards the music of different cultures, cultures filled with completely new and different groups of people you can now attempt to have sex with.

How Does Music Affect Your Sleep Patterns ?

Sleep patterns differ from person to person and not every one goes to bed at 8 in the night and wakes up at 6 in the morning. However, it is important for every adult to get at least 6 hours of continuous sleep to remain healthy. For people who suffer from sleep irregularities and disorders, there are several kinds of therapy like aromatherapy which uses oils and massages to induce sleep; herbal medications; conventional medications; and music therapy.

Everyone loves some type of music. However, certain types of instrumental music have been known to have positive effects in regularizing sleeping habits.

Music has a soothing and calming effect on people. It helps to calm the brain. Most people who do not sleep because of stress and the tension they are experiencing is invariably due to an overworked brain. The nerves in the brain get tensed and stiff and that is why people either experience headaches or sleepless nights.

Music helps to calm the brain and regulates the blood circulation. Certain kinds of instruments like guitar and piano can have good effect on the mind and body. People can try listening to soft harp or instrumental music while they lie on the bed. They will notice that they are drifting into deep sleep without realizing. This also helps babies with colic to fall off to sleep.

In addition, music helps several other types of disorders like autism and cognitive disorders. Music therapy is being used to treat several types of disorders like insomnia, depression, stress disorders and also cancer. So, the benefits of music to help with sleep patterns should not be scorned or taken lightly.

Research Proposal on Negative Effect of Rock Music among Teenagers Who Idolize Rock Music Singers

Negative Effect of Rock Music among Teenagers Who Idolize Rock Music Singers

Introduction

Music is everywhere and it is in every, it is considered as the way of expression in which freedom is a privilege. It has many features and purpose, like an extraordinary way of communication through art. Music can be a universal language that invokes different reactions of people until it grows on them. In this study, the purpose of the music can be described on how it affects people and no matter how they fight it, they will end up singing the particular song that catch their attention until the end of the day – in which the teenagers call as “last song syndrome”. 

Background of the Study and Problem Statement

According to a psychiatrist Edward Podolsky, music or its sounds travels to the ears. The nerves of the ears distributed the sound and have more extensive connections making the human body function based on what he/she just heard (Matt, 2006). Since music has a power to touch the inner-self of the people, as much as influencing their moods or behaviors, what would be the effect of the rock music on the generation of the teenagers? Moreover, the negative effects of it are the main topic for this study.

Research Objectives

The objectives of the study come in three parts. First is to understand the rock music in the view of the teenagers and how they idolized the rock musicians. Second is to identify the possible negative effects of the rock music on teenagers. And lastly, to establish a well-ground of facts on what is the role of music, not only for teenager but on the entire society. 

Research Questions

The study presented several questions that can help the study in learning the truth about the rock music. Through this system, the researcher can estimate the adequate answer which is also suitable to the main problem.

1.      What drives a person to write rock music or involved himself in listening to rock music?

2.      What are the different views of the family/parents, singers/songwriters/musicians, and the psychologists on rock music?

3.      What are the impacts created by this genre in changing the face of music industry?

Literature Review

In the exploration of the past studies, it is said that rock music has an equal characteristics of drugs, alcohol, and role-playing games of witchcrafts, voodoos, and Dungeons and Dragons. This might be the reason why other clinical experts argued that music can cause violent behavior, changing of attitudes, and unexplainable feeling of depression, happiness, or energetic. Furthermore, music can stimuli the sexual behavior of a person which is based on the rhythm and pornographic images or music videos (Matt, 2006; Shevy, 2007). The irregular beat of the music can control the rhythm of the person’s movements such as breathing and walking. This controllable issue of the music classified as the most powerful drug, for it can poison the person, making the person sick, or lift up its spirit. Listening to whatever kind of music has been part of the teenagers’ daily activities, especially with the technologies or gadgets that are handy (Hui, 2001). Apparently, the world-wide influence of the music can be seen on the teenagers. There are evidences that show the negative effect on the ability of the student to think and learn if the student is under the spell of rock music. Students who were found engaged in rock music and peer has a less commitment on their education (Hui, 2001; Matt, 2006). This might be the truth behind the words of Jimi Hendrix of 1969, who was considered as the rock’s greatest genius, where he finds that through his music he can hypnotize the people and reach their weakest point (Matt, 2006). Rock music has been the necessity for the development of the youth in their search for personal and social identity and this event shows the higher response in the freedom of their choice (Hui, 2001; Shevy, 2007).

Methodology

The empirical method applied in the study is the use of the interviews. The participants are not asked to reveal their identity because it doesn’t play essential role in this activity and the results are clearly based on their opinions. However, the research managed to set the demographic requirements on the participants such as the age, gender, and type of music they are into.

Analysis

Based on the interviews, most of the participants have less appreciated the rock music. While the other participants who loves the rock music are either wearing the style of their idols or making their own fashion statement for rock music. On the other hand, it is very obvious that the teenagers are pleased to hear the rock music with a combination of gothic preferences – or the dark-goth-rock music or the rock kind of music that involves intense beats which goes in the term of punk-rock music. There are also identified as EMO or Emotionally Motivated music as a style of rock music that is have more expressive, confessional, and melodramatic lyrics and sounds.

Conclusion

Music everywhere and it seems like the body moves according to its rhythm and beat and can condition the human mind. As a powerful, it can be also dangerous because there is a continuous investigation about the relation of the EMO music in many of the suicidal attempts of the teenagers. Rock music, and whatever kind of music associated into it, can widen the approach and can bring out different sides of people. But the most illustrative fact on this type of music is the negativity in which parents should be aware of. A weak person can be destroyed if all of the negative energies are surrounding him, especially on the teenagers that have the long-kept feeling that they are not loved, been betrayed, involved in family/peer issues, educational problems, dilemma on their identity, and so on.

Music and Studying

Most people know that listening to music helps some people study, while hindering others. What many don’t realize is the type of music can make a huge difference for certain types of learners, making some types of music an option as a study help for people who think it does them no good.

That isn’t to say that music helps everyone. It doesn’t. How helpful it can be often varies from topic to topic, too, for people. But it can certainly help more people than realize it. (Some people consider this a separate learning style element, called aural.)

First figure out if words distract you with music—and I don’t mean if you’re distracted when one of your favorite songs comes on the radio that you don’t hear often and want to sing along with. Do words distract you as a rule? If so, you’ll have to bear that in mind while seeking a form of music, always finding an instrumental version of the style you’re testing. Are you more distracted by music you know well or intriguing new songs? Make sure you pick and stick to the one that will cause the least distraction.

Secondly, pick something to study. Make sure you stick to that specific type of studying (i.e., memorization, concept learning, mathematics) for the entire time you’re trying to isolate the best form of music for it.

Now run a few base tests with styles to try to narrow it down a bit. Try a few styles you like or can at least tolerate, like easy listening, Celtic, classical, and rock. If you’re familiar with the concept of “minor key” (it’s what makes most Celtic, Gothic, and New Age music depressing to some people and relaxing to others), try to notice if you study better with minor or major key.

If you prefer major key, next test a few music genres of that style. Gospel music, classical, pop, and rock are usually in the major key. Admittedly, some of these will be difficult to find instrumental versions for if that’s what you need, but it may be worth the study results. Artists often have samples online you can use to test, and you can always ask friends to borrow their CDs if they can trust you to return them.

For minor key, you may at first find it a bit more difficult. At a glance, your only option is Celtic or New Age—soft stuff, quite easy to find instrumental versions of, but what about those who work better with heavier music. This is where such genres as Celtic and Gothic rock come in, which are actually quite similar, so don’t panic at the “Gothic” name. Most people find it pretty if they don’t know what they’re listening to; it’s a technical term with historical roots, but if you’re predisposed to suicidal tendencies, please avoid those that do have depressing lyrics for your own safety.

If you’re unable to distinguish the keys, try to isolate characteristics of music that helps you even only a little to figure out what genre will help you the most. If you have to, you can compile the characteristics.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a genre that helps you with that style of studying, congratulations! You’re ready to restart the process for another form, or you could just stick to the type of music you’ve isolated for studying in general till you have time to run another test. But be willing to turn the music off if necessary—just because it helps you concentrate on the math doesn’t mean it’ll help you with memorization.

Now that you know what you need, you might want to consider adding another style of music to your study bag: techno. Sometimes called “dance,” this is the rapid-beat music that restaurants play at busy times in the background so people move out quickly. A number of people find it annoying, but if you can even tolerate it, it might help you when you’re trying to accomplish something swiftly, like research and writing for a paper. Note—it also drives your pulse up the roof, so be careful with it.

It may sound silly, but do have a care with all music. It has biological effects besides damaging your hearing when you blare it too loudly. It can raise and lower your blood pressure, raise or lessen bodily stress, and some lyrics can have you thinking things you don’t generally—or ever—say or do. Have fun in picking your music style(s) needed for learning, and test numerous styles, but be cautious, too!

Psychology of Heavy Metal Music

Iron Maiden - Darz Mol, Wikipedia, Creative Commons ShareAlike 2

The majority of research into the emotional and behavioral effects of popular music has focused on heavy metal, though a few studies have also included rock and grunge music. Overall, the popular belief that listening to certain musical styles causes a variety of behavioral problems is not supported.

Emotional Response

While a number of researchers have associated heavy metal music with depression or anger, these effects do not occur when heavy metal is the listener’s musical preference. A study of more than 1,000 gifted students aged 11-18 found that heavy metal music is used for cathartic release and to dissipate negative emotions, particularly among those with low self-esteem.

Grunge Music Effects

A study of the effects of different types of music found that after listening to grunge music, subjects reported increases in fatigue, tension, sadness and hostility, as well as decreased mental clarity, vigor, relaxation and compassion. However, grunge was likely not the musical preference of these subjects—a study of grunge fans may have produced different results.

Aggression

Some studies have found that individuals become more hostile, aggressive or angry after listening to heavy metal music, whereas others have found no aggressive response. Some researchers have even found that subjects who were angry to begin with become happier, calmer and more relaxed after listening to heavy metal when it is their preferred musical genre.

Suicide

Although the suicide rate is higher among rock and heavy metal fans (particularly the latter), a study of students with psychiatric disorders who were also heavy metal fans actually showed improved mood after listening to their music of choice. Other studies of depressed students have found similar results, suggesting that students may use this music to help treat their depression rather than becoming depressed as a result of listening to it.

Academic Performance

Some studies have found that adolescents of both genders who listen to heavy metal tend to have lower grades in school, but this is likely due to aspects of personality or environment (such as high stress) rather than any direct effects of the music itself.

Intelligence

Interestingly, college students whose musical preferences are alternative, rock or heavy metal actually obtain higher IQ test scores on average, particularly on questions where abstraction is required. Some studies have also found high intelligence among adolescent heavy metal listeners.

Risk Taking

Those who prefer rock or heavy metal music are more inclined to be reckless sensation seekers who take risks. This is a personality type rather than a direct effect of the music—sensation seekers have less reactive nervous systems and so it takes more intense stimuli to generate a sensation of happiness or excitement.

Risk takers are more likely to commit crimes because they are not as anxious about the consequences. This is not caused by the music however; the risk taker prefers more energetic music and more dangerous pastimes as a result of innate personality and physiology.

Drug Use

Studies regarding a link between heavy metal music and drug use have generated mixed results. One study found that teenagers who listened to heavy metal were more inclined to use drugs, though they were not more likely to use them excessively or become addicted. Other researchers have found no link between music preference and drug use or drug-related values. Overall, use of alcohol and/or drugs by parents has the greatest influence on adolescent drug use.

Attitudes Toward Women

A study of undergraduate men found that exposure to sexually violent heavy metal music increased the tendency to stereotype sex roles and hold more negative perceptions of women. However, this was likely the result of the sexually violent content rather than the heavy metal music itself.

Effect on Animals

A student named David Merrill subjected mice to the music of a heavy metal band called Anthrax 24-hours a day to discover how it would affect their ability to learn new things, but instead of completing Merrill’s maze, the heavy metal mice all killed one another.

In a subsequent experiment in which the mice listened to heavy metal music for 10 hours each day, they did not become homicidal, but they did grow worse at solving the maze than they had been when they first encountered it. But research indicates that reactions to music are shaped by whether or not it is the genre of choice, and it's highly unlikely that if the mice had a musical preference at all, it would have been Anthrax.

Effect on Plants

Dorothy Retallack tested the effects of various types of music on plants. She found that playing classic rock artists such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge caused the plants to grow in an unhealthy way, bend away from the speakers and die young. However, if we assume that plants can have musical preferences, it's possible that classic rock was not their music of choice.

Music For Your Brain Health?

One of the most frequent questions that people have been emailing us about here at BrainReady recently is, "What about music as brain health booster?". 

With all of the focus on foods, drinks, dietary changes and exercise that we've (rightly) covered here given the significant impact that these things can have on one's brain health and brainpower, it's easy to overlook the larger topic of music (or the meta-topic of sound in general) as applied to cognitive enhancement. 

Most of us have already heard the loose rumor that "classical music is good for your brain", whether as brain-booster while working or as something that mothers should be doing for their developing children or even "sound as audio therapy" unto itself. For many, it may feel intuitive that listening to complex classical music pieces must somehow be better for one's brain than listening to, say, a simplistic three-chord rock anthem or a Rap track featuring a single looping drum beat with repetitive vocal (or many other genres of current pop/rock/rap music). 

Or does that truly depend on the song in question, or one's world view, or one's attention to complex subtle nuances that may lie just below the surface of a seemingly trite piece of Pop?

The truth is that the potential for brain-boosting benefits from listening to music (or sound content of any type, for that matter) is a largely unstudied area, ripe for much deeper research spanning far more genres of "organized sound" (music) than certainly exist to date. The trouble is that this kind of research, like most other brain-related research, is extremely difficult to derive clear indications from... clear results and empirical data, given the massive number of variables that enter into the mix when trying to test how music truly impacts real-world human subjects. 

The good news is that there already is some good research that suggests impressive, exciting news as to how music can enhance brain function, and if one takes a step back to extrapolate these research results and make an intuitive personal judgment regarding how music may help, it's a no-brainer (sic) to consider giving it a try. And why not: no side effects or contraindications with music listening, unlike supplements and medications and some foods!

The research: music with exercise? In one research study, clinical psychologist Charles Emery of Ohio State University studied the effect of music on people who listened (or did not listen) during regular physical exercise. Emery says, "I've always thought that music had many benefits for people, and increasingly people use music when they exercise, so it seemed like a logical next step in terms of a research project". So along with Evana Hsiao and Scott Hill of Ohio State, and David

 Frid of Pfizer, Inc., Emery put his theory to the test, with the help of 33 men and women in the final weeks of a cardiac rehabilitation program. Each of the participants were tested for mental performance after exercising without music, and exercising with music.

The results were astonishing: on average, the participants performed more than twice as well on a verbal fluency test after listening to music while exercising than they did after exercising without the 

music. Wow!

The music selected? Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons".

"When there was no music, there was no change," Emery says.

Emery chose Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" for the project because prior research by other scientists with that particular piece indicated that it helped patients with lung disease perform better mentally. Emery suspects, however, that similar benefits could be gained by listening to ALL kinds of music, not just classical. It is theorized that the passionate, upbeat rhythms of "The Four Seasons" may stimulate mental performance because it is complex, thus forcing the brain to organize neural transmissions. 

But other selections might work better for some people. "I don't think there is anything specific to Vivaldi or even classical music that would necessarily trigger enhanced brain function," Emery says. 

But he is confident that music makes a difference, whether it is jazz, hip hop, or classical. And while his research was centered on cardiac patients, because they often suffer mental decline as a result of their illness, Emery thinks it works for everybody, not just those who are sick.

Several other research studies have illustrated how listening to music is a more complex endeavor than it seems on the surface: the human brain has to sort out tones, timing, and sequencing of various sounds, in order to comprehend music. It is believed that the frontal lobe of the brain is stimulated and activated by listening to music, as it is the part of the brain that is associated with higher mental functions such as thinking abstract thoughts, or planning for the future.

Vivaldi or Mozart, but not Glass? Psychologist Frances Rauscher, now at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and her colleagues made waves with the discovery that listening to Mozart improve d people's mathematical and spatial reasoning. Even rats ran mazes faster and more accurately after hearing Mozart than after white noise or music by the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Sorry, Glass fans. Rauscher reported that, for rats at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain.

But don't just listen, join in: it's one thing to listen passively to music in order to derive brain benefits. But even more brain-engaging, and even IQ-boosting, is playing or writing music, including taking music lessons. 

In fact, six-year-old children who were given music lessons, as opposed to drama lessons or no extra instruction, got a 2 to 3-point boost in IQ scores compared with the others. Similarly, Rauscher found that after two years of music lessons, pre-school children scored better on spatial reasoning tests than those who took computer lessons.

Although not yet tested with adults, there is little reason why similar benefits would not also apply to adults, including the elderly, which is why we here at BrainReady (and most other cognitive health experts) routinely recommend learning to play a new instrument and learning to read and write music (visually or even intuitively through experimentation) as wonderful mental health and brain fitness steps that adults of all ages should strongly consider.

Learning a new instrument, learning to read or write music -- these activities exercise a wide range of mental skills, with their requirement for delicate and precise finger movements, listening for pitch and rhythm, learning harmony and harmonic complexity, all combined with an emotional dimension, as well as memory. And this makes sense intuitively: if you're someone who has never played an instrument or learned to read or write music, and then one day you start on the long process of learning, what do you think is happening to your brain? Would your brain be different, better, more capable, one year after consistently working at it and becoming a capable musician? 

The relaxation factor: then there's the obvious other area of benefit from listening to (or playing) music...relaxation and enjoyment. When you listen to or engage in music that makes you feel happy, relaxed, deeply engaged, contemplative, you're reaping some of the same deep relaxation effects that such activities as restful sleep, a warm bath, a wonderful meal, have on your overall stress level and physiological state. Simply put, it's relaxing, and that reduces stress, and stress is one of the biggest health hazards to brain & body alike. 

Now, not all music produces such a state of calm relaxation, particularly as everyone's musical tastes are somewhat unique. Some may find Speed Metal or bombastic Hip-Hop deeply calm-inducing and mentally therapeutic while becoming filled with rage at the mere thought of a Celine Dion or Barbara Streisand vocal. Others may find the inverse. But there may well be something to listening to classical orchestral music, or music that is equally complex (large number of instruments, fairly complex harmonic and lyrical structure, emphasis on notes and melodies rather than repetitive drum beats or simplistic repeating motifs as found in most Pop music). So if you're going to select your "brain health music", it may be wise to include some Mozart, Vivaldi, Bethoven, Bruckner, Stravinsky and other greats. 

And why not dig deeper into some of the extremely complex "serious" music by the likes of Edgar Varese, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and other great "serious" composers whose music may not strike you with the light calming lilt of the pop classical favorites yet may force your brain into new unexpected territories that reveal themselves only after your brain has really "evolved" to understand the brilliance. 

Sure, include some of your favorite calming, pleasant favorite songs or pieces regardless of genre so that you can derive the wonderful anti-stress benefits of music, but just as with learning a new language or subject matter, stretching your brain by listening to some musically sophisticated, complex compositions may indeed do things for your brain that will one day be shown by researchers to be even more profound than the Vivaldi and Mozart effect.