How classical music helps the brain

I'll always remember my dad saying that he loved listening to birdsong early in the morning. The singing centered him in a way that I didn't understand at the time.Now I know why he felt so refreshed.Birdsong is a high frequency sound - around 5,000 hertz. Any sound between 5,000 and 8,000 hertz has been found to recharge our brain's batteries.You know what else is amazing?5,000 hertz is also the frequency that energizes plants. In fact plants showed a 700 percent increase in efficiency of absorbing nutrients when exposed to high frequency classical music. This frequency actually helps the little pores on the plant's leaves called stomata to open up.And who says nature doesn't have a plan. That's why you'll find that in areas that don't have a lot of birds singing, there's not a lot of plant growth either.Lots of birds equals lots of plants. Few birdsongs means not a whole lot of greenery. Now I know why we moved from Los Angeles to Asheville, North Carolina - we wanted birds and trees … [Read more...] about Stimulate Your Brain with Classical Music

About a decade into the podcast boom, I’m continuously surprised there aren’t more shows about classical music. It’s an ideal medium: Little can compare with the experience of hearing someone talk about a piece, then listening to it with enlightened ears. Yet few in the field have taken advantage of podcasting. Which is why the debut this month of “Aria Code,” by WQXR and the Metropolitan Opera, is both a major event and a gift. Eminently listenable and often illuminating, the 10-episode series is like a bonus feature for opera fans, and a welcoming entry point for newcomers. Four episodes have been released so far, and each follows a simple format. The host — Rhiannon Giddens, the polymathic musician and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient — takes a deep dive into a famous aria with diverse guests who have included singers, scientists and even a sex worker-turned-writer. Then she signs off by playing the song in full. That’s … [Read more...] about A Luminous ‘Aria Code’ Joins a Meager Field of Classical Music Podcasts

Lifestyle / Entertainment / Music by Press Association 02/04/2019, 12:03 am Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Seven leading UK charities have called for better mental health support for musicians working in the classical world. The Harmony in Mind campaign, launched by the magazine Classical Music, aims to create a unified response to mental illness in the sector. It calls for industry leaders to support musicians and staff and deal proactively with the underlying causes of poor mental health. It also calls on employers to sign up to the Time to Change pledge, which was launched by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness to end mental health discrimination in the workplace. Charities which have signed up to the campaign include the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, The Royal Society of Musicians and Help Musicians UK. Editor of Classical Music Lucy Thraves said the stigma around mental health in classical music was … [Read more...] about Charities call for ‘vital’ mental health support for classical musicians

The scientific evidence is growing by leaps and bounds: music helps physical changes which help heal the body. Find out how to relax and rejuvenate using the calming sounds of classical music."The physiological benefits have been measured. Music reduces blood pressure, the heart rate, and hormones related to stress." - Dr Rosalia Staricoff, London, EnglandYour brain is a 3 pound supercomputer. It's the command center of your life and is involved in everything you do.It is more complex than any computer we can imagine.You have 100 billion nerve cells in your brain and every one of them connects to other nerve cells. Did you know that your brain has more connections in it than there are stars in the universe?Just like your computer needs optimizing by clearing out unwanted clutter, your brain does too. When you optimize your brain regularly, you become the best you can be at any task - relationships, leisure, sports, creative thinking.The first step to optimizing your brain is to protect … [Read more...] about Classical Music Reduces Stress – The Easy Way to Recharge Your Brain And Relax Your Mind

If you think music doesn't affect you, you'll be changing your tune after reading this. This is a true story of a recent study from Leicester University in England.You're off to the supermarket and decide to stop by some shelves offering French and German wine. You make up your mind to buy a bottle of the French wine.While checking out, you're asked why you picked the wine. You respond "The label looked great", or "I liked the price". Then you're asked if you noticed the French accordion music that was playing when you took that bottle off the shelf. You say that you did. Did it affect your choice of wine today? No, of course not, you answer.That's funny because on the days that French music is played nearly 80% of shoppers chose the French wine. On the days that German music the Opposite happens.In other words, this study found that if you bought some wine from their shelves you were 3 or 4 times more likely to choose a wine that matched the music than the wine that didn't match the … [Read more...] about You’re Being Manipulated – How Music Affects Your Buying Habits