Neuroscience for Kids - The Musical Brain

Dr. Chudler - chudler@u.washington.edu
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/music.html#ear

Summary

The Musical Brain is one chapter from an excellent website called Neuroscience for Kids.

In it, music is defined as sound vibrations with the various types of instrument groups and their methods for producing sound vibrations described.

We then follow the sound waves from the ear and through the cranial nerve to the brain. By clicking on the highlighted words one can access all kinds of extra info. By clicking on The Ear one is able to access more than 75 pages of excellent resource information, games, experiments, lesson plans, videos and also a complete textbook full of information about neuroscience for young people! Each highlighted word throughout the website produces similarly excellent information.

The Lobes for Music section talks about amusia and right vs left brainedness. This is followed by a description of an electroencephalogram.

The section explaining the infamous Mozart Effect study is followed by a discussion of the failed attempts to recreate the results and then by some suggested activities relating to this study. There are three audio files which can be accessed relating to Music and the Brain and a list of research paper summaries.

The excellent Neuroscience for Kids site is referenced and attached in several places to the information in this specific website. At the Neuroscience umbrella site one can access such interesting material as Women in Neuroscience, How Much do Animals Sleep and Yawning: Why we Yawn and Why They are "Contagious".

Reflection

The Musical Brain provides some excellent information and superb links for kids and for big kids who like to learn about things without having to look up every other word in the dictionary! There is some great information about the musical brain specifically but the pages of resource material on the ear and the brain are really invaluable.

There are about 75 pages of information on the ear and accompanying activities and experiments alone and many layers of information. Often there are links given for even more detailed information. The age range for using this website could range anywhere from the very young through to high school age young people. The pages of experiments on hearing, for example, list experiments for all ages, from K to grade 12.

The site is just jam-packed with tons of info. Anyone checking it out can choose to pick up a little information or a LOT!

This website just a fabulous resource for anyone wanting a refresher on neuroscience and as a resource for teachers and students. I highly recommend it.