From little babies to full grown adults, music can grab a hold of our attention. Merzenich says that music therapists use this factor to target attention and impulse control goals for a patient. Both skills being basic strengths we need in life to function and succeed.

A lot of schools use music to learn without extra funding. To prepare for big exams, like midterms or finals, I usually listen to songs or albums while studying my notes. This helps me easily remember the things I need to know. When going back over the information, I remember what music I was listening to when studying it and relate it to the content. Personally, this musical way of studying really helps me remember what I need to know.

Music has an inherent structure and emotional pull that makes it easy to remember concepts and ideas. This effective mnemonic device can tag information in our brains, making it easier to learn and easier to later recall.

Our sense of smell has the number one ability to stimulate our memory very powerfully. Music comes next. Merzenich tells us that older adult who suffer from dementia now work with a music therapist to find very effective results. Music can tap into the patient’s memory and trigger a certain time or place they remember from earlier in their life. Without music, they wouldn’t be able to remember these certain memories.

Melody harnesses the power of memory from learning information to recall past experiences. Melody is known to be a carrier wave of remembrance. Cases have shown that patients with Alzheimer’s disease remember lyrics to favorite songs, despite their severe memory loss. Songs can be in the back of our head forever, and researchers call this the “Earworm Effect”. Ninety percent of people experience this feeling, on average, at least once a week. The Earworm Effect is what helps us remember songs to help us pass tests, learn information, and remember facts or figures.

 

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