{"id":2228,"date":"2022-03-23T12:00:37","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/?p=2228"},"modified":"2022-04-11T10:06:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:06:26","slug":"whats-happening-in-babies-brains-during-music-experiences-big-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/whats-happening-in-babies-brains-during-music-experiences-big-things\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Happening in Babies\u2019 Brains During Music Experiences? Big Things!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby-outside-500v2.png\" alt=\"Baby playing with shaker\" class=\"wp-image-2233\" width=\"251\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby-outside-500v2.png 501w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby-outside-500v2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby-outside-500v2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby-outside-500v2-125x125.png 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Babies can be puzzling. They are little, they are squishy, and they seem to need help doing everything. And yet we know that huge development is happening on the inside, as their brains grow at an astronomical rate. If you\u2019ve ever asked yourself, &#8220;What\u2019s going on in there?&#8221; you\u2019re not alone. We can help with some insight into what babies\u2019 brains are up to when you make music with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music Processing in Babies\u2019 Brains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you sing, bounce, dance, and play with music, in class or at home, at least eight areas of baby\u2019s brain are activated&nbsp;<strong>at the same time<\/strong>. Here\u2019s a peek into what happens in babies\u2019 brains during music experiences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Graphic-MusicLightsUptheBrain_web.png\" alt=\"Music Lights Up the Brain\" class=\"wp-image-2234\" width=\"270\" height=\"270\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Auditory cortex:<\/strong>&nbsp;Hearing you sing, baby\u2019s brain processes incoming sound waves.<\/li><li><strong>Visual cortex:<\/strong>&nbsp;Watching you move, baby\u2019s brain processes incoming light waves.<\/li><li><strong>Sensory cortex:<\/strong>&nbsp;Feeling the action of dancing or playing with instruments, baby\u2019s brain processes tactile feedback.<\/li><li><strong>Motor cortex:<\/strong>&nbsp;As your baby moves their arms, legs, tongues, etc. during music, this activates baby\u2019s motor cortex.<\/li><li><strong>Amygdala:<\/strong>&nbsp;Your baby\u2019s emotional response to music lights up the amygdala.<\/li><li><strong>Cerebellum:<\/strong>&nbsp;Your infant\u2019s cerebellum lights up during movement.<\/li><li><strong>Hippocampus:<\/strong>&nbsp;Music enhances the brain\u2019s ability to store memories.<\/li><li><strong>Corpus callosum:<\/strong>&nbsp;Music activates the corpus callosum, which connects and synchronizes the two sides of the brain.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music Experiences in the First Year Shape the Brain for Lifelong Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During the first three years of life, our brains grow at an extraordinary rate: With every new experience, brain cells link to others, and babies\u2019 brains form about 700 new connections per second&nbsp;<em>just in the first year<\/em>. Experiences determine which of these neural connections are \u201csaved\u201d for life, shaping brains for future learning. Because music-making activates so much of the brain during this time of incredible plasticity,&nbsp;<strong><em>music experiences<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;uniquely support growth across multiple domains. Here are some examples of how music shapes development, along with activities to try with your little ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Music Shapes Biology<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>During music experiences involving face-to-face singing and activities like tapping babies to the music, important chemicals can be released in the brain, commonly resulting in decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones\u2014as well as enhanced muscular coordination and tone and regulation of the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Music Shapes Neurology<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The visual, auditory, and kinesthetic input inherent in music experiences also stimulates neural connections. Sensory input taken in through the eyes and ears stimulates the sensory cortex, visual cortex, auditory cortex, cerebellum, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Music Shapes Language Development<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Brain imaging has shown that singing engages areas of the brain essential to the input\/processing and output\/production of language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Music Shapes Emotional Connection and Self-regulation<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Dancing, playing, and singing with babies strengthens the infant-caregiver attachment relationship through the release of hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. Singing with babies has also been shown to optimize cortisol levels, both during and after these musical moments. (High levels of this stress hormone have been found to harm the brain during this early period of development.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, and with a lot of repetition, songs become a part of children\u2019s long-term memory and serve as tools for understanding the world and integrating life experiences. With each song you sing, you are giving your baby the early, repeated music experiences that build their brains\u2014and fill their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making Music Is Good for You, Too!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby1-circle-purple.png\" alt=\"Mom and baby\" class=\"wp-image-2232\" width=\"323\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby1-circle-purple.png 645w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby1-circle-purple-300x298.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby1-circle-purple-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/baby1-circle-purple-125x125.png 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As parents of babies, so much of your focus is on them, but you need caretaking, too! When you make music with your baby,&nbsp;you can look forward to some pretty good fringe benefits: Singing and dancing lowers our stress levels and connects us to one another, which is good for the whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s common to think of music as something we listen to on our headphones, or as \u201cpiano lessons\u201d or \u201cchoir practice.\u201d However, in reality \u201cmusic\u201d is much, much more. Music is emotion, connection, ritual, and complexity. It\u2019s something we turn to again and again to mark important life transitions, to help us cope with loss and celebrate love, and to gather in shared purpose and community. Music is a uniquely human way of knowing and understanding the world around us, of learning who we are and how to be\u2014and it starts when we\u2019re very young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the next time you pick up your baby and dance around the kitchen, or sing a song while changing their diaper, you can know that big things are happening. Inside that wonderful, squishy body is a brain that\u2019s sparking and changing with every note you sing and every move you make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011).&nbsp;<em>Building the brain\u2019s \u201cair traffic control\u201d system: How early experiences shape the development of executive function: Working Paper No. 11<\/em>. Retrieved from&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Field, T. (2010).&nbsp;Touch for socioemotional and physical well-being: A review.&nbsp;<em>Developmental Review<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>30<\/em>, 367-383.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flohr, J. W. &amp; Persellin, D. C. (2011). Applying brain research to children\u2019s musical experiences. In, S. L. Burton &amp; C. C. Taggart (Eds.),&nbsp;<em>Learning from Young Children: Research in Early Childhood Music<\/em>. MD: Lanham<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fox, S. E., Levitt, P. &amp; Nelson, C. A. (2010). How the timing and quality of early experiences influence the development of brain architecture.&nbsp;<em>Child Development<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>81<\/em>(1), 28-40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004).&nbsp;<em>Children\u2019s emotional development is built into the architecture of their brains: Working Paper No. 2<\/em>. Retrieved from&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2010).&nbsp;<em>Early experiences can alter gene expression and affect long-term development: Working paper no. 10<\/em>. Retrieved from&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.developingchild.harvard.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tierney, A.L. &amp; Nelson, C.A. (2009). Brain development and the role of experience in the early years.&nbsp;<em>Zero to Three<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>30<\/em>(2), 9-13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Urban Child Institute. (n.d.).&nbsp;<em>Baby\u2019s brain begins now: Conception to age 3<\/em>. Retrieved from&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.urbanchildinstitute.org\/why-0-3\/baby-and-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.urbanchildinstitute.org\/why-0-3\/baby-and-brain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trollinger, V.L. (2010). The Brain in Singing and Language.&nbsp;<em>General Music Today<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>23<\/em>(3), 20-23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schore, J. R. &amp; Schore A. N. (2008). Modern attachment theory: The central role of affect regulation in development and treatment.&nbsp;<em>Clinical Social Work Journal<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>36<\/em>(1), 9-20<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Babies can be puzzling. They are little, they are squishy, and they seem to need help doing everything. And yet we know that huge development is happening on the inside, as their brains grow at an astronomical rate. If you\u2019ve ever asked yourself, &#8220;What\u2019s going on in there?&#8221; you\u2019re not alone. We can help with&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/whats-happening-in-babies-brains-during-music-experiences-big-things\/\" title=\"Read What\u2019s Happening in Babies\u2019 Brains During Music Experiences? Big Things!\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,7,4],"tags":[52,56,116,153,39,40],"class_list":["post-2228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-babies","category-mt-at-home","category-parent-education","tag-babies-2","tag-music-at-home","tag-music-development","tag-music-learning-supports-all-learning","tag-music-learning","tag-music-making"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2253,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228\/revisions\/2253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}