Most people are familiar with Ted Talks and Tedx, among other variations. TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Those in support of music education may enjoy a short animated video called “How Playing an Instrument Benefits the Brain” presented by educator Anita Collins.
As Collins says, “Did you know that every time musicians pick up their instruments there are fireworks going off all over their brain? On the outside they may look calm and focused, reading their music and making the precise and practiced movements required but inside their brains there’s a party going on!”
According to the video, neuroscientists have made enormous breakthroughs in understanding how our brains work by monitoring with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Position Emission Tomography scanners. When hooked up to these machines, tasks have corresponding areas of the brain where activity can be observed.
When participants listened to music, the researchers saw “fireworks.” Multiple areas of the brain were lighting up all at once while they processed melody and rhythm. Researchers found “playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full body workout. Playing a musical instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once, especially the visual, auditory and motor cortices. Structured practice in playing music strengthens those brain functions allowing us to apply that strength to other activities.”
Playing music requires fine motor skills controlled in both hemispheres of the brain, linguistic and mathematical precision from the left hemisphere and creative aspects of the right hemisphere.
“For these reasons, playing music has been found to increase the volume of activity in the brain’s Corpus Callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes.” This arguably equips musicians to solve problems more effectively in both academic and social settings. The crafting and emotional content foster higher levels of executive function impacting memory and retrieval of memories.
Musicians “appear to use their highly connected brains to give each memory multiple tags such as a conceptual tag, an emotional tag, an audio tag and a contextual tag like a good Internet search engine.” Neuroscientists have found the artistic and aesthetic aspects of learning to play a musical instrument are different from any other activity, making it unique brain engagement.
Thanks to the generosity of many local businesses, organizations, and individuals, there are numerous scholarships and awards up for grabs for participants of the Battlefords Music Festival. To be eligible for scholarships and awards, participants must be 19 years or under and have lived in the Battlefords and district for a minimum of six months prior to the festival or be furthering their education elsewhere, but still supported by parents living in the Battlefords district.
To show support for participants recommended by adjudicators to compete at the provincial level, the Battlefords Festival Committee covers some expenses for the young musicians granted this honour.
The 2017 Battlefords Music Festival is scheduled to run from Saturday, April 1 to Friday, April 7. Discipline sessions will sometimes run simultaneously making for a busy but exciting week featuring local talent. The festival will culminate with a celebratory gala at the Dekker Centre where festival highlights will be showcased and awards distributed.
Email battlefordsmusicfestival@gmail.com with any questions or if you are interested in volunteering. Any amount of time or talent you have to offer is welcome, so don’t be shy. Jobs come in all shapes and sizes at the Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival. If you have volunteered in the past and would like to volunteer again, please let a committee member know so your interest is not overlooked.
If your time is not available but you or your business would like to support the festival monetarily, consider sponsoring an award to be presented at the final gala event, or sponsoring a session for a music discipline of your choice, or being recognized as a patron or friend of the festival.
“I think everyone should have a Beatles phase in their life.” — Jadelr and Cristina Cordova, Chasing Windmills
