Songs and music helps learning

For generations, all cultures have used music to pass down knowledge through songs.

Elizabeth Carlton in 2012 wrote in Learning through music, a wonderful article describing how music helps people recall information. She shows that most people recall songs from childhood and how songs can have a strong emotional connection. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the memory experienced. She describes Jensen’s research of teaching with the brain in mind, shows how music in cultures have always used music to learn. Our brains are designed to retain music.

Some people with dementia can retain memory of songs and music. Musical memories appear to be stored in areas of the brain that are less affected by dementia, particularly in the early to middle stages. These areas include parts of the frontal cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Anna Maria Matziorinis’ research shows Alzheimer’s Disease patients can learn new songs, encode novel verbal information, and react emotionally to music.

So, why don’t we use music to learn everyday? Maybe we should and we are missing a valuable tools. Babies learn the voices of their parents and in turn develop regional accents. We are naturally designed to learn through rhythms and tones.