INFLUENCE OF MUSIC THERAPY ON LEARNING AND MEMORY – A REVIEW

Abstract

Music therapy is a therapeutic science thatexpresses emotions of a person through rhythmic, melodic, harmonic elements. This expressive therapy uses musical notes to increase and maintain physical, social, psychological well-being. It is a therapeutic tool that influences many areas of the brain that involve cognitive, emotional, sensational and motor processing. Music therapy often helps recover from various mental disorders like anxiety, depression, autism, schizophrenia, dementia, insomnia and personality problems. Different concepts of music have different influence on the brain. Loud fast music and slow soft or slow loud music hindered the process of learning, but soft fast type of music enhanced learning. Instrumental music interferes with learning to a lower level compared to music with lyrics. The areas possibly affected by music are the cerebrum, auditory cortex and the cerebellum. The auditory cortex and cerebellum are generally associated with sound and movement and cerebrum associates with hippocampus which is considered as a large memory center of brain. This explanation possible associates how music is related to memory. Thus, music produces a stimulating effect on mood and enhance learning process and this form of therapy is therapeutically beneficial for treating Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia.