Music's Impact on the Learning Process
Everyone has at least one song that made an impact on their life – whether it reminds you of a person or a certain time or place or the message was incredibly impactful, we all know at least one song that has reached us on a deeper level.
Music affects our mood, feelings, and energy levels. We use music to set the tone for events. Some music reminds us of memories – of what was happening and how we felt. We use music to express ourselves and understand our thoughts and feelings.
Music can stimulate multiple parts of the brain, all at the same time. It can activate the parts of the brain that control language, emotions, creativeness, and rhythmic motor control.
Many people can retain and remember information better when they’re using music. A great example of this would be the song we all learned when we were learning our ABCs. This song is so ingrained into our minds that even as adults, it may be difficult to recite our alphabet without at least thinking of the song.
And music can help people to connect with other people. Music is a great cultural bridge, it promotes diversity, and unites individuals through their love of music and the universal language of music.
There are so many ways that people can get incorporate music into their lives. Whether it be through listening to other artists, attending concerts, playing an instrument, singing, writing music, etc. All of it can be incredibly healing and therapeutic to a person’s mind.
One of the biggest things we’ve found through various research articles is that music helps to reduce anxiety, and this can cause other positive outcomes. It can be used in music therapy to aid in pain relief, help in the recovery process for stroke patients, and improve the quality of life for dementia patients.
The aesthetic of a song as well as the lyrics can be incredibly powerful. The types of instruments used in a song, the tempo of the song, and the key that the song is played in can have an impact on the vibe of the song and can evoke certain emotions. Then, the lyrics of the song can also hold a lot of meaning in such a small number of words.
This is why we chose to use music in our lessons. Music can be so powerful in helping us to make emotional connections, therefore it can be beneficial to use in the learning process – especially in lessons about SEL and mental health.
Often, we ask people to reflect and monitor their thoughts, feelings, and mood as they listen to different songs.
- What did the song make you think about?
- How did the song make you feel?
- What do you think the message of the song is?
And reflecting on these questions can help you to see just how powerful songs can be – especially when they’re used in the learning process.
Each Rock Digi lesson includes a lyric music video to help students make deeper connections on the topics being taught in the lesson. Each song used in the Rock Digi curriculum is original music written by Pat McManus. There are a variety of different songs used in the curriculum that are of different genres and moods.
Make sure to check out the music used in the Rock Digi curriculum on our YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you listen to music. Below are links to where to find our music.
Visit rockdigi.org for more information and free trial lessons.
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