Why CY Matters

Why CY Matters

Singing in the choir could be ‘the new exercise’ – here’s the surprising science behind whyWhen by Daniel Pink 3D image

Jonathan Blumberg | @YoniBlum (8:35 AM ET Fri, 23 Feb 2018 CNBC.com)

From CNBC:

“Exercise is one of the few activities in life that is indisputably good for us,” writes Daniel H. Pink in his new book, “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.” “Choral singing might be the new exercise.”

“Choral singing calms the heart and boosts endorphin levels. It improves lung function. It increases pain thresholds and reduces the need for pain medication,” Pink claims, citing research published in Evolution and Human Behavior. It also seems to improve your outlook, boosting mood and self-esteem while alleviating feelings of stress and depression.

Read this article about Daniel Pink’s latest book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing and watch a video on the CNBC website.

Jaron Lanier Helped Create Social Media, And Now He’s Begging You To Leave It Behind

by Ja’han Jones, Huffpost Personal

Ja’han Jones writes:

Jaron Lanier

Jaron Lanier played a key role in expanding the internet, but has always been skeptical of its influence. (CANALTECH vis Huffpost)

“Social networks were supposed to be the ultimate tool of democratization. In the earliest days of the internet, many in the tech world congratulated themselves for ushering in a new era of dialogue in which increasing the number of voices would lead to a more civilized, informed society.

“As a forefather of the digital age, Jaron Lanier was not only present during this time; he is widely considered one of the digital world’s most influential creators. Lanier is often lauded by tech enthusiasts as the ‘Father of Virtual Reality.’ In 1985, he co-founded the first company to sell wearable virtual reality gloves and goggles, and in 1997, he served as chief scientist for a project largely responsible for broadening the internet for global use — a project called Internet2.

“Lanier has since ascended to guru status in tech circles, issuing warnings about a digital world he helped make. Back in 1992, he predicted a society in which people live ‘in a sort of fetal position, where are seated in a soft chair looking at the world through a glass square.’

“Lanier’s critique went a step further, with his suggestion that ‘there’s a Western myth that technology will save us.'”

Read more in Ja’han Jones’ post

This Is Your Brain On Music

by S.C. Stuart | July 20, 2018

Music Brain

Einstein is famous for his theory of relativity. But, he was also a gifted violinist. Did that make him a better mathematician and scientist? Specifically, did studying music enhance and change his brain?

That’s what Dr. Assal Habibi, a research scientist at USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute wants to find out; she’s using electrophysiologic and neuroimaging methods to investigate human brain function. She’s not using Einstein’s brain (although pieces of it are still in existence), but the brains of 80 children, who have been with the Brain and Music study since 2012, when they were 6 and 7 years old.

One-third of the young subjects, who were told the MRI machine is a spaceship of sorts, are studying music with the Los Angeles Philharmonic youth orchestra (YOLA) at the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). The study wraps up this summer, so PCMag went to USC to speak with Dr. Habibi and find out how, in the light of the quantified-self movement, music is crucial for brain development.

Read the full story on the PC Mag website

The Neuroscience of Singing

by Cassandra Sheppard

Singing Together Brings Heartbeats Into Harmony

The science is in. Singing is really, really good for you and the most recent research suggests that group singing is the most exhilarating and transformative of all.

The good feelings we get from singing in a group are a kind of evolutionary reward for coming together cooperatively.

The research suggests that creating music together evolved as a tool of social living. Groups and tribes sang and danced together to build loyalty, transmit vital information and ward off enemies.

What has not been understood until recently is that singing in groups triggers the communal release of serotonin and oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and even synchronises our heart beats.

Group singing literally incentivized community over an “each cave dweller for themselves” approach. Those who sang together were strongly bonded and survived.

Read the entire article on the Uplift website

Why Choruses Matter

To sing like this, in the company of other souls, and to make those consonants slip out so easily and in unison, and to make those chords so rich that they bring tears to your eyes. This is transcendence. This is the power that choral singing has that other music can only dream of.” — Garrison Keillor

According to a study by the National Endowment for the Arts, one in 10 American adults sings weekly in a chorus. For most, choral singing begins in a school chorus, but millions of people carry their love of singing into adulthood. The broad appeal of choral singing is based in the unsurpassed opportunity it gives each singer to participate in an activity that involves them artistically, builds community, and results in a product of great beauty. In working toward a beautiful choral sound, people contribute to an artistic product greater than themselves and forge friendships that change the course of their lives. The synergy of this musical mission infuses choral organizations with energy and purpose that result in extraordinary contributions to their communities – through stellar performances and recordings of great works, the creation of new repertoire, innovative educational programs, and cooperative partnerships with other community organizations.

Read the entire article here.
[This article was originally published by Chorus America.]

The Benefits of Music Education

The Benefits of Music EducationA wealth of scientific research over the last decade is proving that music education is a powerful tool for attaining children’s full academic, social and creative potential.

  • It speeds the development of children’s and reading skills
  • It trains children to focus their attention for sustained periods
  • It helps children gain an sense of empathy for others

“Musical activity involves nearly every region of the brain that we know about, and nearly every neural subsystem.”   – Daniel Levitin

Read the entire document (pdf opens in new browser window. (April 2014, The Royal Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

3 Awful Things That Happen When Children are Denied Daily Arts Instruction in Schools

Anthony Mazzocchi National Association for Music Education member Tony Mazzocchi reflects on the importance of the arts in education. As the title, “3 Awful Things That Happen When Children are Denied Daily Arts Instruction in Schools,” suggests, the author, a GRAMMY® nominated music educator, believes music plays an essential role:

Anthony Mazzocchi[/caption]Regardless of the social and economic circumstances of our time, the arts have an essential place in the balanced education of our children.

In all the education discussion I hear and the literature I read, the arts are consistently given little to no attention. At the same time, a large portion of our population is tired of having to plead to make the case for arts in schools. We all want an education system that delivers a broad-based curriculum that takes into account the continuing and varied needs of our children — not a system obsessed with academic learning alone.

Read the entire article on the NAfME website. (June 7, 2016 – Article originally posted on The Music Parents’ Guide)

John Rutter: The Importance of Choir

Listen as composer John Rutter delves deeply into the importance of choir in all aspects of life.  He shares his own love of music with us as he discusses the many places music enters our lives and changes who we are. Please enjoy these few words of wisdom from one of music’s greatest minds on the JW Pepper Blog:

John Rutter: The Importance of Choir – JW Pepper Blog, 3-9-16

Stop “Defending” Music Education

Peter Greene writes in the Huffington Post: “Today I ran across one more xeroxed handout touting the test-taking benefits of music education, defending music as a great tool for raising test scores and making students smarter. It was just one more example among many of the “keep music because it helps with other things“ pieces out there.”

Read More…Huffington Post, 6-11-15

Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers

Peter L. Benson, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Search Institute, is one of the world’s leading authorities on positive human development. Dr. Benson is the author or editor of more than a dozen books on child and adolescent development and social change, including, most recently, Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers