Scientific Research about The Benefits of Music

This page has information about a talk being proposed by me – Craig Rusbult, PhD – for the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation.  Currently it's written mainly for reviewers of the Abstract Submission.  Later I'll revise it so – if the talk is accepted – the page will be useful for attendees. 

two updates:   • My proposal was rejected as a talk, accepted for a poster session.   • Then I decided that staying in my new home city (Columbus OH) would be a wiser way to use my time.  Instead of attending the conference — by preparing the posters, preparing for the trip, doing the trip & meeting — I should stay home, doing projects (education for problem solving & music improvising) and connecting with more people, more deeply.

my web-pages about the scientific research and

    Improvising Music with a Colorized Keyboard

Craig Rusbult <craigru57@yahoo.com>

bio – my life on a road less traveled

Here is an abstract for the talk:

Scientific Research about The Benefits of Music

Music is fascinating and fun, is one of the best things in life.  We enjoy music, and get benefits (mental, emotional, physical) when we hear music and make music.  Musical experiences can be especially beneficial in helping the young develop more of their full potential for what they could become, and helping the old maintain more of what they have become, and even add to it.  Increasing these benefits is one way to “love our neighbors,” as commanded by Jesus.

Scientists who study musical activities are learning from a wide variety of observations, including... brain scans that show stimulations of neural activity in the audio, visual, and motor cortexes;  evidence that music promotes neuroplasticity at all ages, but especially for the young;  research showing correlations, and probable causations, between playing music and mastering language;  finding that actively making music, as in creative improvising, produces greater effects than passive listening;  and more.  When the research is carefully evaluated, it supports many claims – although not all that have been made – for the beneficial effects of music.  Therefore my goal is to accurately describe the research and its interpretations, regarding different levels of support for different claims.

a personal perspective:  I'm an enthusiastic educator who wants to help people enjoy making music and gain benefits.  How?  By using a keyboard that's colorized with red-blue-green, to help learners improvise harmonious melodies and understand music theory.  {more info: EducationForProblemSolving.net/asa [it's this page] }