How Music Changes Your Mind 

✍ Join my free newsletter and tell me where to tour! www.maryspender.com/tour Also not sponsored, but if you'd like to read more on the subject, I recommend The Psychology of Music: A Very Short Introduction by Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis. It's published by Oxford University Press and includes references to all the studies mentioned. uk.bookshop.org/books/the-psychology-of-music-a-very-short-introduction/9780190640156 p.s. please avoid the scammers in the comments section! If I comment - I have a verified tick next to my name and I'll never ask you to join Telegram :(

I had a TA in college that had been struck by lightning. It wiped his brain of many memories. He didn't recognize his wife, kids, friends or family. Speech was gone. Motor skills messed. He was essentially a vegetable sitting in his own world. One day....someone played a piano...he looked up...walked over and started playing...just as he always had done before the injury. The really odd part...he sang in Spanish..a second language...not his native which was still lost to him. Over time, they were able to re-teach most of what he lost. He still has no memory of family and kids...but he has pictures so he knows they are his...so he fakes it the best he can...loving in the moment. That is the power of music

Love, love, love - this why music should be taught as a fundamental skill like math and language - as a matter of fact music is ALSO a unique combination of math and language ... such a loss when music stops being taught in school

My dad was diagnosed with dementia in 2010. He couldn't remember what he had for breakfast, but he would light up and remember every single word when I broke out the guitar and started playing Johnny Cash or Hank Williams. He would bring me to country circles when I was younger and learning guitar to help me learn how to play. It hit hard when I would see him remember those times.

A relative of mine suffers from dementia. I hadn't considered bringing music into the picture until now. Thank you once again!

My son-in-law is a Ph.D neuropsychologist and I am definitely going to share this with him!

That elderly woman listening and reacting to Tchaikovsky was spine-tingling! Another fascinating music class by you, Mary!

My son has just started his dual honours degree in music & psychology, so I am definitely sharing this with him

And this is why I think music and music education programs are essential in the school systems...but are unfortunately one of the first programs in a school system to be cut? And IMO that hurts both that community, and society as a whole.. Music is one of "vehicles" that knit a society and its people together (and even keeps the individual Whole..).... Fantastic video, Ms Mary! )))

Music engages every part of the brain. I was an Activity Director in a nursing home for ten years. I used music every single day for interacting with my residents. Every genre. My group loved the Black Eyed Peas for exercise! I once had to add rock music to a care plan because one of my residents tapped his feet and hands whenever a rock song played, a nurse told me he was old and couldn't possibly like rock music....She failed to realize that yes he could like rock music, but as we age our hearing changes and the rock beat is easily heard. One of our entertainers commended that of all the nursing homes he visited the residents in my building were the most alert. Yes, they were thanks to music!

You had it right in the outtakes: the pre-funkal cortex! Also known as the primary dance motor.

I suffer from severe chronic debilitating pain in both my legs/feet, severe depression and anxiety, music has become in the past couple of years of years an extremely important part of my life. I have started playing my old alto sax for the first time since 1984. I love listening to music and now want to learn more about it. This video is SO spot on. Thank you!!!

I was a saxophonist and guitar player for 25 years, before I suffered a Grand Mal epileptic seizure while raking leaves in Nov. 2018. I underwent six (6) frankly omg brain surgeries and suffered a stroke, which paralyzed my left limbs. I got a piano in my room and make sure to play at least 30 min. every morning. Not only have I learned thepiano, but I think that "exercising my brain every morning has " rewired" some of the connections in my brain that were damaged by my injuries. Music is a truly magical thing! 🤗

Mary, I would like to present a couple of examples of how music is perceived by the brain. First of all, during the production of the record “Love For Sale”, Lady Gaga shared a video of Tony Bennett, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. During the related show where Tony is backstage just before they went onstage and the first notes of the first song they would preform are played, Tony underwent a transformation to the “old” Tony Bennett. He then went onstage and gave a performance that gave no hint of his mental degradation due to Alzheimer’s. It was his last performance. Another example… while watching this video and listening to you, the radio was playing the Habanero from Bizet’s Carmen and I found myself listening, and fully understanding both simultaneously. Proof, to me at least, that music and speech are processed independently in different parts of the brain. Finally I remember as a small child sitting on the floor of my home with my mother, listening to the Jelly Roll Morton song “Goodnight Irene” as performed by The Weavers (it was on the charts at that time…).

Music’s ability to heal the brain is real! I floundered for years after my brain injury. After I determined that I was going to relearn to play guitar and sing no matter what I started making real progress with healing my brain. Now making and producing music helps me keep going as I continue my healing journey.

I might be going out on a limb here but I think Mary Spender LOVES music!

My Grandad had dementia and in the later severe stages when he recognized no one of his family, he still loved to play the piano and played all the songs flawlessly, much to the joy of the people around him.

Yes! My mom is 94 and about to pass away from dementia. I loaded up a "music box' with her old favorites and although she is not conscious most of time, she opened her eyes. I could see the curiosity in them until she figured out it was familiar music. And her eyes smiled.I asked her I she liked it and she said "yes". She hadn't spoken in weeks. So remember kids- MUSIC is good medicine. PS Good work Mary. Thank you for all you videos. I enjoy them very much.

You are so right, Mary. My mother, during the late stages of her dementia, could sing "you are my sunshine" with perfect pitch, and more importantly, smiling joyously throughout the song.

Fantastic video!!! After researching and watching *all* the videos I find over the past 6 years, this is incredibly informative! Absolutely well done! (Also, those medical terms are *incredibly* difficult to say!!!)

Thank you Mary, I am a Board Certified Music Therapist. I was involved in one of the studies you mentioned. Music is so powerful because so many areas of the brain are effected at the same time. I have seen this work time and again. All the best and Keep playing!

Mary, Thank you for the video. I have suffered from anxiety since I was a small child, I am 72 now. A friend of mine suggested that I should learn to play music, as it would help with my problem. I tried to play guitar, but it was too difficult because of my arthritis in my left hand. I then came across the mandolin, and it was much easier to play. I started when I was 60 and playing music has made my life much happier. I still get an occasional attack but playing music lessens the effects. George in Montana.

Thx for the beautiful content! I can’t live without music. I listen to music 24/7. I wake up to music. I go thru the day with music. I sleep with music. My mom is my muse! ALOHA!!! 🤙🏾😎🤗

Music is something I've always known was powerful, it's what drove me to being a musician, I suffer from a rather extreme mood disorder, and music is one of the most effective things to keep me at a decent baseline, without it I go through violent mood swings. It seems kind of amusing to me, that I lean toward metal because it goes from zero to 100 and back constantly it shifts violently and decisively. It mellows me right the hell out though. That and darker music like that of Woods of Ypres, when I hit the crushing lows associated with my disorder it connects in a way where nothing else does, in a way that makes me feel like I can get through it. Music is exceptionally powerful, and personal. The way I equate my own music is "This is me putting something out there I don't have words for, a part of me that's deeper than that, and hoping someone will understand it, knowing that their interpretation will never be what I experienced when I made it." I am not a lyricist, I just play guitar and piano, and make things that aren't always pretty, but are definitely what I felt in the moment lol

I had a severe injury then was misdiagnosed multiple times, music truly got me through it all. The weird thing is during those horrible times I listened to really obnoxious sounding stuff really load, which is not my norm, but it really helped me. I can't even stand what I was listening to back then anymore but it holds a very dear place to me to this day. Now if I ever find myself yearning for that obnoxious stuff I recognize I'm going through a hard time. I don't know music just blows my mind

Excellent video Mary. I saw a video of a musician having an MRI scan when he was playing a piece, difficult to do inside an MRI. I remember the doctors going, wow, look, as every region of the brain became active, they said this was the only activity that did this, they had done the same (an MRI) with other activities such a mathematics, reading etc. So the connection of the individual via music is possibly the deepest connection to ourselves that we can make and the deepest connection we can make to others. Students who have music as part of their curriculum often improve/perform better in many other subjects.

Human brains evolved to recognize patterns. It’s how we process our environment and manage the input that floods our senses. Music is patterns. The relationship in vibrations between tones that make up scales, and the rhythm in which they are assembled are a feast for brains that are geared to find patterns. I think what is fascinating psychologically is while of course there is no universality, clearly based on the varying levels of popularity there are some basics to the arrangements of these patterns that are pleasing to brains.

In the morning if I’m feeling lousy, I place my head down upon my classical guitar and play. At first I thought I was a little crazy placing my cheeks upon the body of the guitar but the benefit is tangible. After a few minutes I will be feeling much better. Music is a gift from God.

So heart-warming to see the old lady - so heart-warming I got a bit of dust in my eye.

It is my belief that music can help one get over serious phobias. I used music, like a play list of my absolute favorite music, to get over my fear of great heights.

My wife is a nurse and works with the elderly. They may forget almost everything but music will still light up their brain. They remember every single word :) I enjoy your channel; I'm an engineer and gigging guitarist/singer at tiki bars in Florida. Keep up the good work - your attention to quality shows in everything about your channel.

This was an absolutely superb segment, Mary. I was brought to tears watching your friend talk about how singing "Happy Birthday" immediately helped her recovery. Likewise, watching the aged ballerina moving intuitively to "Swan Lake" was heartwarming. As always, thank you for sharing. BTW - I was lead to your channel by your collaborative work with Rick Beato. :) Steve

Music ALWAYS triggers memories for me... the way I felt when I heard a song, where I was when I heard it, and what was going on when I heard it. I love that aspect about the human brain!

Loving this new type of video. Your channel combines all of my favourite parts of music; the theory, science, and guitars. Also love the songs, vlogs, and your other self-development videos. Thanks for encouraging me to keep learning.

I was really moved by the interview section and deeply fascinated by the rest of the video, thank you so much!

Thank you Doctor Mary! LOL Love those big words. Very informative. Music is great and I have heard many of the points you shared today. How cool is it that pre-natal infants do better with music. They eat and sleep better and get out sooner.

This is such a beautiful video, Mary. My Nanna is my favourite person in the whole world. She was diagnosed with Dementia around ten years ago and in that time she has lost her license, her independence, her home and she's even lost the memory of my grandfather dying thirty years ago. It's the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen. But I still visit every week and we sit and listen to Charley Pride. As we listen, her memories of being young and healthy and dancing with my grandfather to these songs returns momentarily. I have to admit, It's terrifying to watch my idol slowly fade away, but I still visit her every week because if it's scary for me, imagine how she feels, my most wonderful, sweet Nan.❤

Brilliant presentation! It reminds even the most, “scientific” nerd that music is just as important (perhaps more so) as all the “stem” stuff that is typically extolled as so crucial to a decent education. Thank-you Mary!

I chill out to Metalcore. The transition from screaming verse to clean chorus gives me a massive Dopamine hit. 🔥🤘💜

I'll be 60 years old next May. I had a stroke in March 2019. Four bleeds on the left side of my brain. They couldn't wake me for four days. They thought I might be comatose. Then, suddenly, I woke up, not knowing anything about what happened to me. With everything the doctors and nurses told me at the hospital, I should not have lived...but I did. Now, 3½ years later, I have all but concluded that my brain, having been wired as a musician my entire life, I am quite sure that being a musician had to have played a significant roll in my very quick recovery. I was already playing the piano and the guitar only a week after I woke up, and that was on the physical therapy floor of the hospital. Music has saved my life more times than I can count. Thank-you for the very interesting video. I'm a huge fan. Dave

One of my music jobs, especially over the last few years, is performing for Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes. I quickly realized that the more memory difficulties each population had, the further back their musical connections went. Most people are highly attached to the music of their teens and twenties, when they really were able to form their own musical tastes. For groups with memory issues the attachments seem to be more the songs of their earlier youth. In any case, they are all great populations to perform for! 🎶🎸🎹

Hi Mary! I want to thank you for the way you explain the neuroscientific basis of music in this video. I'm a neuroscientist myself and I always get nervous when 'lay' persons talk about neuroscience since there are so many myths online (to be fair I was quite triggered by your 'left-brain-right-brain' thumbnail, that myth just won't die...). But you've done an amazing job at being entertaining, interesting, ánd accurate! So thanks a lot for sharing this with us. Also, the bloopers were hilarious 😆

My piano teacher would take a small group of us students to the memory care wing of a local assisted living facility for monthly performances. The residents faces always lit up when Ellie would play and sing show tunes from their younger days.

The honorary neuroscience doctorate goes to Mary Spender. This was amazing!

Music is amazing. Its universal appeal crosses all boundaries.

Mary, what an awesome video. I started playing guitar two years ago, when I retired. It's been a difficult road because I suffer from essential tremors. This video has inspired me to keep practicing and playing my guitar. You're an amazing young women, thank you for what you do.

Outstanding video! I am a retired registered nurse and still active musician. As part of my gigging palette for the past forty years (!) I have always performed in hospitals, nursing facilities, assisted living and dementia care centers. I have seen some remarkable responses to music. Hendrix was talking about exploring the healing power of music back in the '60's. He was truly onto something but sadly never got to see it all the way through. Keep up the good work! Your stuff is consistently excellent.

I am so glad I saved this video back. I'm in tears and just have to say that this is amazing. Music, playing guitar in particular, saved my life a few years ago and it damn sure keeps me alive now. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this.

Mary your videos are flabbergastingly fine!

thanks for mentioning the Parkinson's connection. i regularly accompany a Dance for PD class, supporting people with Parkinson's Disease. Originating at Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, there are now Dance for PD classes all over the world. very rewarding work.

Music is wonderfully complicated. Only a musician can make a video just talking about music and still move other musicians...Bravo

I have to say your videos keep getting better and better, Mary! ❤

My favorite thing in the world is listening to music on psychedelics. The way the mind decodes the frequencies in music is just awe inspiring

This is my favorite of all time on RU-vid. This is what I know. Well done. My guitar absolutely saved my self.

Both my wife and I benefit from music in the ways you described here. I've a chronic pain disability, and she suffered a serious brain injury. There's a reason why listen to so much music, and watch shows like The Voice. The benefits are absolutely noticeable. Great video, Mary.

Ever since you made your trip to the states…. I really like the way your channel is going. I really love how you’re evolving. You’re such a smooth reader and easy to listen to. Thank you for the effort!

🤗🤗🤗 that was fantastic I too had a stroke I suffered from severe headaches from time to time but I'm not a stroke victim I'm a survivor thanks to music it helps with the headaches and speech impairment thank you very much Mary

If I could hit the like button 1M times I would... LOVE FROM SOUTH AFRICA ❤️❤️🔥

KEEP THIS UP MARY!!! Great intro! Many of us has Zero music education growing up so yourself along w Rick Beato have taught me SO much!! Thnk U

In reading comments, I see this video seems to "strike a chord" with many folks. I appreciate what you have done here.

Awesome video. I worked at a language-focused college for a few years. Most of the students who learned the fastest, or who retained new languages best, were musicians of some sort. Thanks for sharing some specific science about it. 😊

I'm an active musician and RU-vid content creator who was hit head on by another driver recently (and somehow survived). I came to consciousness in the hospital, wondering, "Wait a minute. This isn't Chick-fil-A." (That's where I was headed before the motorist caused the accident. Waking up in a hospital is a very strange experience for sure.) I was left jarred, mentally compromised, and my equilibrium was off... in addition to a nice head wound that was stapled closed by the medical staff. (Apparently, staples are a thing!) While so much was altered, I noticed that my ability to grasp music theory and how music works was still very much intact. I temporarily lost some desire to actually play music - I just felt tired and wanted to sleep. Overstimulation especially wore me out (and being an introvert already, this was noticeably faster than normal). My circle of people close to me who know me all suggested to my wife for me to get a guitar in my hands as soon as possible. Two weeks later, I'm creating a multitrack recording for TSO's Christmas Eve Sarajevo for this year's live Christmas Eve presentation. My musical ability is still very much intact. (Unfortunately, I didn't lose any bad habits I've acquired along my 30+ year musical journey, hahaha, but I'm alive, walking upright, making witty/corny jokes, and I'm playing music like always.) There's something to be said for the power of music. It's much larger than mere mind and matter. It transcends all of that, and I believe it was designed to do so. So this video definitely resonates on a personal level. Thanks for tackling this topic, Mary. Funny thing is, I just uploaded my most recent video just before leaving for that dreadful Chick-fil-A run. So it serves to remind one to never procrastinate or take anything for granted. You never know what life can throw you. It also reminds me how blessed we artists are to be part of a gift that's larger than us. We *get* to interact and flow with it. May we all never lose sight of how huge that is. :)

My grandmother has Alzheimer's. She'll still sing to herself sometimes. And up until recently, she was able to sing along with her old records. Music is so incredibly powerful and moves us so deeply. I'm really glad we can bring that with us, even if we deteriorate to the point of most other faculties failing. Really appreciate this video, Mary.

Music is vital to the survival of the human race. Dinosaurs didn't have music and look what happened to them. Thanks Mary, music helps us in infante ways. When i was healing from an injury in 2016 i shared a room with 2 gentlemen who both suffered from Parkinson's and when i played music for them it always helped them. Thank you for including the outtakes you are a good sport.

I like music, so that explains the psychological part of it.

I recall a story about treating some people who stutter using the method of "singing" what you want to say. For some, just having the mindset of "I am about to sing" made the stutter go away. Then some recent studies where listening to music caused many parts of the brain light up, as you have described, but playing music turbo-boosted that even further. I've taken up guitar (again) at 50, as something to do to cope with the last few years of lockdowns etc - it has helped with my mental state and will remain as one of the pillars of my health routine going forwards. Something to keep my brain working/learning and hopefully slows down/prevents some of the impacts of ageing.

Music is so many things.... it is healing... it is emotion... it is mathematics... it is a time machine... it is the miracle language that all humans understand.

Thank you , Mary, for presenting this topic and bringing awareness to this subject. I,as many people have commented, also had a 'brain event'. 5 years ago, i was in a car accident and suffered a mTBI (mild Traumatic Brain Injury). I lost the ability to read, type and I forgot how to chord a guitar. Music (playing) helped in my recovery (loved re-learning songs of my youth), but even more so was my study of music theory. A deep dive into the Circle of Fifths and finally beginning to understand modes stimulated neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to form new network connections. Also just the sound of certain chords or progressions fed me (I don't know how else to describe it) I felt nurtured and energized. I still got a way to go, but I encourage anyone with cognitive troubles to look to music, at any level, as a brain recovery aid.

you are awesome

This video is outstanding, Mary! It moved me to tears. I will be sharing this liberally. Keep up the great work!

I loved this, Mary. I found myself trying to figure out where Linda Ronstadt fits into the debilitating ailment spectrum, remembering seeing a clip of her on RU-vid struggling to feed herself and carry on a conversation with a TV reporter. I came back to that, especially after watching the ballerina's response to the music played for her here. My own personal piece of music is Eric Clapton's 40-second solo (from 8:00 to 8:40) on "Wonderful Tonight," from Disc 2 of his "24 Nights" album. It's strictly instrumental, and I can't begin to play it on my own guitar, but it brings me to tears for reasons I can't articulate, and does so almost every time I hear it.

I'm sure you heard of this kind of scenario before, but my music teacher in grade-school had a severe stammer (over 50 years ago), couldn't string two words tutututu............gether. But when he put his hands on the piano that completely disappeared.

Am reading Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary which is all about the brain. He spends significant time looking at how music informs about the brain. He is among scientists who believe music came before speech. Great timing of your video for me.

Thank you for taking the time to do this, Mary.

I love what you do Mary.

Brava Mary! Brilliant! I was going to get my Masters/Post Graduate degree from Berklee in Music Therapy (before someone decided to assault me and put me in bed for the last 4+ years). Still pushing for that, but in the meantime if _anyone_ is looking for a field of study to persue - Effects of Music _Improvisation_ on the Brain: The brain lights up like a Xmas tree; and so I was hoping to teach Music _Improv_ to people with brain injuries, pathologies, etc., in hopes of increasing neuron activity, etc. This must be further studied!!! Best wishes!

The Colour of Music

What a fascinating video. I tend to be somewhat stoic in my daily life. Few things make me emotional. But music, music will bring tears for no apparent reason.

Music and rhythm have an amazing effect on the brain. I use a lot of music and rhythm to assist children with movement disorders, and it has a profound effect when combined with other therapies. When a group of people play music together, there is a synchronization of certain waves in all the participants.

This was an outstanding video. Our ears may help capture the sounds but we hear with our brains. BTW your filming is getting better all the time. The graphics of the human brain were exceptional. I have seen quite a few of your videos and I realize that you take your work seriously but still have a sense of humour as evidenced by your blooper reel. Very funny. Keep up the outstanding work.

Fascinating information! In my study of music and psychoacoustics, I was familiar with some of the topics covered in the video. You did an amazing job of bringing it all cohesively together, not to mention some pretty difficult pronunciations! Many thanks for all the work and effort you put into these videos. Greatly appreciated.

That section with the " former" ballerina reacting to Swan Lake was worth the price of admission. Her deep memories gave her pleasure & movement, even though her body is in the process of dis- integration

You really outdid yourself on this one Mary! I was not expecting to hear a a Congolese lullaby. I just got caught off guard by a huge wave of nostalgia. Am I the only Congolese here ? Boza wapi ?🇨🇩

Absolutely spot on. I've always been connected to all forms of music on a very deep level. This explains why!! Thank you Mary!! Grrrrreat video!!💞

I enjoyed this very much. If you touch on the psychology of music again, you might address the finding that you can change your mood by listening to music that matches your current mood, then gradually changing the mood of the music to the mood you want to achieve.

That was a beautiful trbute to sound and music. I loved it!

Just wonderful content: to condense all of the information you must have had at your disposal into about 10 minutes was smartly done. The ex ballerina responding to the Tchaikovsky, spellbinding. Best outtake I've ever seen❗Competitave ain't ya.

Mary, thanks for a nice breakdown of a really big thing. ❤❤❤Music is life. Life would be a barren wasteland without it. My 62 year old brain prefers it to conversation, and it has been the most cathartic therapy, always bringing me back to myself, as well as connecting me to other people in extremely profound ways….even on You Tube 😄

Very interesting video Mary. I have studied cognitive psychology for over 40 years and use it daily in my own corporate training business. We use a left brain, right brain tool to determine the different archetypal profiles of people in business. In music, I would suggest that 'cadence" plays a big role as well. It is the metronome of how we speak, and important so we sound more 'interesting' and 'musical'! Great video, and one of the best explanations of psychology in music on YT. As soon as I saw the picture, I knew what you were going to talk about!!

@Mary Spender my oldest brother is in a nursing home in another state, with dementia. I’ve always played music on my phone for him in recent, years when I visit. Last time I was there in August he said, Kev you’re the only one who does this for me! He remembers all the songs, the words, guitar solos and the slightest of details! So I was agonizing when I got home, how I could keep it going! Turns out his first wife has been taking very good care of him, visiting and such. Soooooo on a whim, I sent a link to a Pink Floyd video and……..yes problem solved! So now I send a different link weekly and she plays it for him! Funny thing is, as you said in the video. He remembers the old tunes we listened to back in the day. I on the other hand, like to track who came from what band, and other bands they formed later. So I’m constantly finding new “old” music. When I send those, he doesn’t really like it. He wants to hear the old familiar stuff. On a side note, I sent a “What Makes This Song Great” with @Rick Beato, and he didn’t really care for that either! So the old stuff we used to listen to is what I’ll keep sending! By the way, he’s the one who bought me my first LP’s all those years ago, Cream Disraeli Gears! And it’s all history from there! That’s kind of long, but another real life application! Thanks for the video, especially the outtakes! That was a hoot, you’re awesome!

There is a famous quote: : "Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak." This is from a poem written in 1697 by the poet, William Congreve. And now, today, our medical researchers are discovering the many ways that our brains process music and the effects music can have on a person. Thank you, Mary, for this wonderful aspect of music. And oh...watching the ballerina as she responds with her arms to the music was incredible..!! Did you notice the intensity and recognition in her eyes as she was moving her arms? WOW..!!

Massive thanks to you @MarySpender for going above and beyond putting these videos together 🙂

One of the best books on this subject is Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks. Sacks was a brilliant neuroscientist who also happened to be a magnificent writer. All of his books are fascinating (highly recommended: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat), but this one is particularly good.

Mary, I am 68 and have always had the belief that music can be so useful in life. I watched you at the Louisiana last week, and thought you were brilliant, absolutely loved it. Unfortunately didn't get chance to talk with you. So you are not just a musician youtuber, you also make videos like this that I know will be helpful and informative to many people, and I will share it. Thanks - keep posting, and come back to Bristol again soo. x

Really authoritative, great work, thanks. When the older ballerina with Parkinson's danced perfectly from her chair it sent shivers up my spine and put tears in my eyes. Great moments in music are experienced profoundly in common across ability, culture, politics and health. I am a dyslexic which gives me unique right brain dominant abilities with music and music theory. Sure it takes me forever to learn the basics but once I have them my brain simple explodes with possibilities of what is possible. We are where we are mentally and physically but with music we can be lifted up and become gods.

Fascinating and very informative video Mary!! Thanks for sharing ❤

Fantastic video, very well researched. You did very well in the pronunciation of terms that even people who work in neurosciences struggle with.

Music is what Color sounds like

Thank you for this video. It's a very interesting subject. Sounds and music affect the brain and central nervous system and the nervous system interacts with the endocrine system. You mentioned the creation of dopamine but other hormones can be created as well - adrenaline for example (think of the music during the famous "shower scene" in Hitchcock's Psycho). As you mentioned, some of these reactions seem to be unconscious and due to evolution. One of my older sisters has been a prenatal, labor and delivery, and post-natal nurse for her career. She tells me that, after some development, a fetus is very aware of outside sounds, becoming familiar with her mother's voice and heartbeat. Mother's voice singing a lullaby is the most reassuring sound. If Mother is calm and relaxed then rest easy because you are safe and everything is okay. Surely many of the health benefits you mentioned are due to the affect of music on the neuroendocrine system. Another of my older sisters is a bassoonist, and she got her degree in music education. She's been a kindergarten and grade school music teacher for many years. We've had discussions about how music affects on child development. It seems children are predisposed in the first few dozen months of their lives to acquire speech, and music plays a big part in that development. Some languages (Chinese, for example) are tonal in nature; the same syllable can have different meanings based on pitch. Children who grow up learning these languages seem to have a higher propensity for perfect pitch. Children in their speech-acquiring years seem to learn melody and harmony very quickly, and learning piano or other instruments seems intuitive for them. She has also noticed learning music seems to help with mathematical learning and logic. I wish there was more research on the effects of music and music education on child development. Personally, I think music has helped me learn and control my reactions to my own emotions. I went on to software engineering, and there are an uncanny number of musicians in the field.

I do really appreciate the very last part of the video where you show your various attempts. The video is perfect with amazing quality, content, light, and sound, but that last part made feel that you are a normal human being who also learns her craft and make minor mistakes along the journey. As we all do. Thank you for the video!