In the video above, Rachel Kucera describes how music is beneficial for our brains. Music doesn’t activate just one portion of the brain, but several sections of the brain. Through music therapy, an individual can get the maximum results when trying to “rewire” the brain. Here is my story:
I was the varsity goalie player in high school and I was very proud of that. No one could take away the feeling I had when I played soccer, or any sport for that matter. The feeling of being free, letting go of things that don’t truly matter. However, my outlet came to a halting stop in just one fraction of time.
During one of my first games of sophomore year being the goalie, I got a concussion. The center forward was charging for the goal. I held my ground until she kicked, so I charged the ball. I bent down to receive the ball, but the forward player thought my head was the ball. Concussion one in the books. After going to the ER, I came out with a grade 2-3 concussion which is one of the highest gradings for concussions. The next morning, everything hurt.
Fast-forward two weeks after the initial concussion, I played soccer again. The ball is at my end of the goal and everyone is trying to either save the ball from going in or trying to get the ball in. In the chaos, my head collided with the goal post. Concussion number two.
My last concussion was the following week. I was bending down to pick up the ball and my teammate accidentally kicks my head.
By the end of sophomore year of high school, I ended up with three concussions within a four week period. That year was the hardest year of my life. It was hard to focus, very hard to remember details, tests became hard, and I had more migraines.
I went to a chiropractic neurologist, a highly trained and qualified expert of the brain, spine and nervous system, for about a year. One of the exercises I was instructed to do was listen to instrumental music in my left ear. This way the right side of my brain could exercise to help increase my memory, cognitive, and motor tasks.
It was through this experience that I began to understand how music can assist in healing an injured brain.
Dr.Jockers.com
Not only was my brain physically changing during this time, but it also impacted my emotional state. Once I got the concussions, I was so frustrated with myself for not remembering the slightest things. However, I finally overcame those frustrations through the power of music. I was always involved with music and it had a special place in my heart. I was in band and choir so I was able to participate in music everyday. Reading and listening to the music engaged my brain more than I knew.
As Rachel Kucera previously stated in the video, music ignites all neurotransmitters in you brain. Neurotransmitters are the things in your brain that communicate to each other and throughout your body. If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t be able to function the way we do. This is why music therapy is incredibly useful for any individual.
Kucera has many clients on the Autism Spectrum or who have Down Syndrome. According to Aspergers Guide’s YouTube video, New Hope for Autism (link down below),
“Music is a more primal, natural, patterned way of communicating. People with no communication abilities have been shown to respond to and seemingly connect with music therapy. People with autism like patterns. Music is full of patterns. Music has rhythm. It is something that they can feel, rather than think about. It is something they don’t have to interpret. And it can be used, some say, as a bridge to learning about speech or improving an autistic child’s speech and communication abilities.”
Music is one of the best therapies a person can receive and can work the brain in a multitude of ways.
Sources:
Jockers, David. “3 Ways Music Improves Brain Function.” Supercharge Your Health, drjockers.com/3-ways-music-improves-brain-function/.
“New Hope for Autism: Music Therapy for Children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.” YouTube, Aspergers Society, 23 Nov. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PT9AYwpD3I.