Songs in the key of life: The linguistic universals of adapting sound to...
A new study of how tone languages are sung has implications for the way humans manipulate and adapt the sounds of their language to artistic expression.
View ArticleHow would the brain process alien music?
What might alien music sound like? Would it be structured hierarchically as our music is with verses and a chorus? Would we even be able to appreciate it? Researchers think the answer would be yes,...
View ArticleMusic lessons improve children's cognitive skills and academic performance
The first large-scale, longitudinal study adapted into the regular school curriculum finds that structured music lessons significantly enhance children's cognitive abilities -- including language-based...
View ArticleFrom lullabies to live concerts: How music and rhythm shape our social brains
A universal sign of motherhood is the lullaby. The world over, mothers sing to their babies, whether Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, their favorite song from the radio, or even random notes. This...
View ArticleOvercoming bias about music takes work
Expectations and biases play a large role in our enjoyment of experiences such as art and wine. Now, researchers have found that simply being told that a performer is a professional or a student...
View ArticleMusic activates regions of the brain spared by Alzheimer's disease
Researchers are looking to the salience network of the brain to develop music-based treatments to help alleviate anxiety in patients with dementia.
View ArticleTo improve future relationship with your kids, turn up the music
Children who grow up listening to music with their parents report having better quality relationships with their moms and dads when they reach young adulthood, researchers found.
View ArticleDancer's brains react quickly to changes in music
Professional dancers' brains react more quickly to changes in music than those of professional musicians. Dancers' brain functions also differ in long-term listening of music.
View ArticleC'mon get happy: Upbeat songs by female singers dominate the charts, UCI...
Roll over, Beethoven. Elvis Presley too. Female singers with upbeat dance songs are far more likely to make the bestseller music charts, according to new findings. Yet the number of happy songs has...
View ArticleMichael Jackson's antigravity tilt -- Talent, magic, or a bit of both?
Three neurosurgeons set out to examine Michael Jackson's antigravity tilt, introduced in the movie video 'Smooth Criminal,' from a neurosurgeon's point of view.
View ArticleCheeseburger or salad? How music volume impacts your decision
Ambient music played in restaurants plays a major role in whether you order a healthy or unhealthy meal.
View ArticleMove over, 'Laurel or Yanny': Study looks at why we hear talking as singing...
A team has investigated the 'Speech-to-Song Illusion,' where a spoken phrase is repeated and begins to sound as if it were being sung.
View ArticleMusic playschool enhances children's linguistic skills
Weekly music playschool significantly improved the development of children's vocabulary skills.
View ArticlePeople who deeply grasp pain or happiness of others, process music...
People who deeply grasp the pain or happiness of others also process music differently, say researchers. The study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience compared MRI scans of low- and high-empathy...
View ArticleHow music lessons can improve language skills
Researchers have found that piano lessons have a specific effect on kindergartners' ability to distinguish different pitches, which translates into an improvement in discriminating between words.
View ArticleTraining in musical improvisation may teach your brain to think differently
Skilled improvisers were better than musicians with limited improvisational experience at distinguishing between chords that can be used interchangeably in a piece of music and those that cannot, a new...
View ArticleReaching for tissues at the symphony? It's probably solo time
A new study helps illuminate the ways in which a composer might intentionally impart sadness into the lines of an orchestral piece. Here's a clue: It doesn't take much. The solo player proves to be an...
View ArticleListening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart
Listening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart, according to new research.
View ArticleStudy helps children hit the right note in supporting autistic peers
Collaborative music lessons in schools improve the attitudes of pupils towards their peers with autism.
View ArticleBeatboxers' and guitarists' brains react differently to hearing music
The brains of professional beatboxers and guitarists respond to music differently when compared to each other and non-musicians.
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