My children love to sing and dance. So oftentimes after dinner, we’ll goof around, turn up the tunes, and sing songs with one another.
No, not like the von Trapp family—albeit, we have sung, “Doe, a deer, a female deer” more than once…
One particular evening, I began singing “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin. I always loved the melody as a child, but while I was teaching it to my children, I quickly realized something about the lyrics—I didn’t agree with them! And I definitely did not want my children being influenced by those horrible lyrics.
“No one to tell us no? Or where to go?”
I didn’t want my children saying that to me! And I definitely did not want them to leave me…at least not yet.
The thing about music is that it deeply shapes us—often without us recognizing the full extent of its influence.
In one study, three professors from Harvard and Boston College discovered that children who had three years or more musical instrument training performed better than those who didn’t learn an instrument in auditory discrimination abilities and fine motor skills. They also tested better on vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning skills, which involve understanding and analyzing visual information.
What’s interesting about this study is that you would naturally expect someone who is learning an instrument to develop in their fine motor skills, which they did. However, you wouldn’t necessarily expect someone who’s learning an instrument to grow in their vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning skills! It’s amazing how the brain is wired and how music shapes your brain.
Similarly, have you ever considered the way worship shapes your heart?
[Read more…] about Music and Your Brain, Worship and Your Heart
