Les mélodies courtes sont plus faciles à traiter cognitivement pour un bébé que les mots, c'est pourquoi la nature encourage les mères à faire des chants pour parler avec leurs bébés. Cela aide l'enfant à développer la discrimination auditive et l'attention - des compétences qui sont extrêmement importantes pour apprendre à parler.

Plus tard, le chant peut aider les enfants qui bégaient à apprendre à parler clairement. Même les personnes atteintes du syndrome de Rett (un trouble génétique qui entraîne des problèmes de langage et de coordination) tirent profit de la musique. Grâce à une thérapie musicale régulière, ils peuvent apprendre à communiquer plus complètement.

L'impact de la musique est si profond qu'il existe des différences structurelles marquées dans la matière grise et la matière blanche du cerveau des enfants exposés à la musique par rapport à ceux qui ne le sont pas. La manière dont ces différences peuvent affecter l'intelligence est encore débattue.

Quoi qu'il en soit, écouter de la musique et surtout apprendre à jouer d'un instrument a un impact profond sur l'expérience éducative d'un enfant. Intellectuellement, ils ont tendance à apprendre et à retenir plus facilement les nouvelles informations. Sur le plan social, ils développent des comportements plus prosociaux et sont moins susceptibles de présenter de graves problèmes de comportement.

Beyond the physical effects of music, the way music is used can help promote healthier behaviours through education. For example, songs about communicable diseases are an excellent vehicle for widespread education. They have effectively been used to distribute transmission information about malaria, cholera, and even the symptoms of Ebola. Artists have also used their music to teach people about the risks of HIV and how to protect themselves through healthy sexual habits.

What else has been communicated through song?

These days, folks are far too stressed out. Listening to and making music, as well as participating in other art forms have been found to reduce stress levels. Not only does music lower the body’s stress hormone response, but also it helps regulate and express emotion, reducing stress.

The effect is so profound that playing calming music during a dental appointment has been shown to relax patients who suffer from dental anxiety and help them get through their visit.

Regularly listening to or making music helps people manage stress on a day-to-day basis. Since stress negatively impacts almost every other area of physical and mental health, reducing stress greatly improves a person’s quality of life.

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that most people experience cognitive decline as they age. However, extensive interaction with music and other cultural pursuits can help stave off that decline.

Those who have participated in musical training for 10 or more years have stronger visual-spatial abilities, memory, and executive function than others as they grow older. These same individuals tend to have lower risks of cognitive decline or dementia.

Learning to play a musical instrument as an older adult helps improve memory, processing time, and general cognition. Surprisingly, it can even help with age-related hearing loss (as it relates to cognition).

Even simply attending the theatre, a concert, or an opera every few months helps to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia.

Regular participation in dance has a hugely positive impact physically on the body, reducing the risk of frailty in old age.

Dance improves:

Being sick with cancer is never a walk in the park. However, music is another tool in a patient’s arsenal in the fight against the disease.

Listening to music can help reduce the side effects such as a lack of appetite or nausea, and shortness of breath or drowsiness. Anxiety and depression can also be a point of struggle for cancer patients, and we’ve already seen how music can help reduce these mental health symptoms.

The effect is so profound that it has been found that listening to music decreases a cancer patient’s hospital stay after surgery (or any type of surgery, not just caner patients).

For respiratory diseases, singing can actually be an excellent form of treatment. Regular singing improves physiological measures such as oxygen saturation and respiratory muscle strength. This, plus the positive effects on mental health that we’ve already outlined, helps to reduce measurable factors such as the number of doctor and hospital visits the patient must make.

Amazingly, singing has a greater impact on reducing breathlessness and anxiety than progressive muscle relaxation often used to treat patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Beyond the physical benefits, the solidarity found by participating in a singing group can also improve the patient’s quality of life. Additionally, they may find a greater sense of purpose and growth through learning a new skill.

When the end-of-life is near, music plays a final role in mental and physical well-being. It helps people express their emotions, and can reduce levels of sadness, depression, and anxiety. Patients (and their families and caregivers) can feel comfort and even spiritual satisfaction through music therapy.

On a physical level, listening to music helps to regulate the heart rate, promote relaxation, lower distress, and even alleviate pain and help with laboured breathing.

Death may never be easy, but it can be a bit more peaceful to the strains of a sweet melody.