Over the course our lives, everyday "white noise" deafens the ears and by the time students enter college, many already have significant hearing loss. The low frequency sounds of the city can be a drain on brain functioning and do not give people the stimulation needed to increase brain productivity. Baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute pattern, have been shown to activate the left and right brain. This action maximizes learning and retention of information. Activities which engage both sides of the brain simultaneously cause the brain to more readily process information.

Generally speaking, the responses to music are able to be observed. It can influence us in both bad and good ways and those effects are instant and can be long lasting. Music is a link to emotional, spiritual and physical elements in our lives and can also be used to change moods. By using music to help increase communication we find that it:

Establishes a positive learning state; creates a desirable atmosphere; builds a sense of anticipation; energizes the learning patterns; changes brain wave states; focuses concentration; increases attention; improves memory; releases tension and stress; enhances the ability to imagine; provides motivation and inspiration; and adds an element of fun to learning.

Many scientific experiments, studies, and research projects have been performed and have revealed the extent of the power of music. Until the early 1970's, most of the research done had to do with the effects of the beat of the music. Slow music could slow the heartbeat and the breathing rate as well as bring down blood pressure while faster music was found to speed up these same body measurements.

The key component of music that makes it beneficial is order. The order of the music from the baroque and classical periods is a key component of its learning benefits. It has been shown to cause the brain to respond in special ways through repetition and changes, patterns of rhythm, and pitch and mood contrasts. The brain works by looking at different pieces of information and deciding if they are different or the same. This is done in music of the baroque and classical periods by playing a theme and then repeating or changing the theme. Repetition more than once in a song becomes displeasing and can cause people to enter a state of anger or lower their abilities to a state of sub-conscious thinking.

Although experts are still weighing in on the benefits of music, students and adults around the world continue to use music as a means of self relaxation, healing and mood enhancers. We associate music with events and times in our lives and have learned some of our most basic language skills through music and singing. Music provides us with a way to escape the daily pressures of the world and it gives the brain some time to relax.

To improve your mathematical and reasoning skills, start listening to Bach or Mozart while you work. Start taking piano lessons and enroll your children in piano. Studies have concluded that children that play the piano and participate in music lessons do twice as better in school and they have better memory and concentration skills.