The Key

We all know what keys are and I’d be willing to bet you probably used one today to unlock a door or to start a car etc!

But what I want to talk about isn’t a physical key, per se, it’s music! How is music a key you might ask!

Well, our brains are amazing things and the way they work is fascinating. Did you know that it has been shown in studies that when multiple people are together and listening to the same song their hearts will beat in sync? And what controls the heart? The brain.

The way the brain processes music is quite unlike almost anything else we do in day-to-day life. When we listen to music the brain is building new pathways and making connections. That is incredible in and of itself! But when we ourselves play music? That’s a whole new show.

To play an instrument is to use the entire mind. Your eyes are seeing the music notes, the keys on the piano, the strings on the guitar and sending that information to your brain which then tells your fingers to hit the correct key or string. It’s telling your hands to work together in a way most of us don’t use them. Making them work in unison or separately, playing two completely different things and keeping them straight. All while your ears are working to take the sound waves and transfer them to the brain so you know to hold down that last note a little longer to make it sound perfect.

With every song played the brain is establishing so many new connections and creating pathways that can last a lifetime. It’s not surprising that we have so many memories tied to songs! For instance, how do I still know the jingle from that one commercial I saw when I was 10?!

Or how an Alzheimer's or dementia patient can recognize and sing along to a song from their childhood but sadly can’t remember much else.

When we are calculating a math problem it’s using the logical left side of the brain and when we are looking at a Van Gogh or a Monet we are using the right or artistic side. Music uses both. Just as sports exercise the body so music exercises your mind

So with all that to say…I believe music provides us with a key, and that key can be used to unlock a door that can lead to great heights. We just have to take the opportunity it gives us.

-Eliana Franzenburg