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Winter 1999 Volume 7 Issue 9 Music is the Key to Brain Fitness
The changes in attitudes are occurring in the education community, the research community and among the public at large. A great deal of the response is due to all of the previous publicity about how music makes you smarter. But, the latest wave is a result of all of the new research that explains why music makes you smarter. New research is indicating that music is a fundamental part of our biology, and that playing musical instruments actually affects the physical development of our brains. Dr. Norman Parsons of the University of Texas at San Antonio and his team of scientists have uncovered parallels between the music/right-side brain function and the left-side of the brain that is used in language processing. In essence, the same neural paths are created as when language is learned. The study also shows that music activates the cerebellum, challenging the 150 year old hypothesis that this part of the brain (containing 70% of all brain cells) only activates motor function. It is the first time that scientists have been able to trace the neural paths in the brain when music is played.
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usical
instruments are exercise equipment for the brain," says Ray Reuter,
Yamaha Piano Marketing Manager, commenting on the groundswell of
interest in music. "We are witnessing a revolution in understanding
how and why music affects our lives."