by Dr. Michael Pratt
The human brain is an extremely complex organism. It is complicated in its makeup and development, and exactly how it works or how a person learns and uses his brain is not understood. For example, we know that we have both short-term memory and long-term memory.
Short-term memory acts like a computer’s RAM: it holds the data we are working with at the moment, but loses them once the machine is turned off. Long-term memory acts like a computer’s hard disk: information is only put there when we hit “Save,” but once it’s put there it stays there so that we can access it again and again.[1]
We are, however, unsure how a short-term memory becomes a long-term memory. Studies seem to indicate this may occur during REM sleep but we are not sure. (ibid.) Our memory can also be classified as either explicit or implicit.
Explicit memory encodes factual knowledge – names, faces, events, things. Implicit memory is responsibly for the laying down of skills and habits that, once learned, do not have to be consciously thought about, such as eating, talking, walking, riding a bike, and the way to go about making friends. (ibid.)
In addition there is episodic memory, semantic memory, sensory memory, motor memory, visuospatial memory, language memory, and verbal memory.
The way the brain works is like a flowing river. When the brain receives information it starts as a perception. “Perception is the gateway through which we receive information from our five senses and from our internal awareness.”[2] The next area of the flowing river is attention, consciousness, and cognition. “When we attend to a perception, we become conscious of it, and then we think about it or react to it.” (ibid.) Following the river analogy, we flow next to brain function, “the primary functions of the brain, movement, memory, emotion, language, and the social brain.” (ibid.) Lastly, the river of the brain flows to identity and behavior, “the ‘output’ of the brain: one’s decisions, behavior, and historical sense of self.” (ibid.)
Understanding how the brain functions through these four “theaters” is very useful in understanding student behavior. For example, a middle school band student may come into the band room every day and exhibit almost uncontrollable behavior. He may be aggressive, noisy, agitated, disruptive, and generally a behavior problem. Initially it may be thought that this individual is simply a “discipline problem” and dealt with in the traditional manner through discipline referrals, detentions, and suspensions. On further investigation it might be found out that not only does he suffer from ADD but his brain does not process information in the normal manner, and with the proper treatment he can achieve a relatively calm state and exist normally in the classroom environment.
Music is essential to the well being of developing children and is one of the Ten things every child needs for the best start in life![3] This is a fact that music educators have long suspected and appreciated (first started by the Greeks). Reinforcing this is Gardner’s Swiss army knife analogy of learning and his seven intelligences: “linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and two forms of personal intelligence.”[4] Many of us as music educators feel that music is vital in our lives. What we have failed to appreciate is that this is true of everyone: music is a basic need of the human animal and is not only crucial to his well being but is also crucial to his development as a person and his education, as well. We do not teach something which can or should be the first thing to be cut when times get tough. In actuality it should be one of the last things cut because it is so important to the human condition. If we understand how the brain works, what children need, and how they learn, we will understand that we do, in fact, teach a CORE class, an academic class, and have never taught an optional class, an elective class, or any other adjective that denotes that music is less than one of the most important classes a student will take. As Anthony Palmer notes:
The artist in the culture challenges our mentally and spiritually lazy ways that make us feel comfortable in our sloth. This is where a music education system must play a valuable role. [5]
Copyright 2010 by Pratt Music Co.
WORKS CITED
Mithen, Steven. The Architecture of the Modern Mind. Edited by Anthony Palmer. Boston: XanEdu, 2005.
Palmer, Anthony J. “Consciousness Studies and a Philosophy of Music Education.” Philosophy of Music Education Review 8, no. 2 (Fall 2000): 99-110.
Ratey, John. A User’s Guide to the Brain: The Four Theaters. Edited by Anthony Palmer. Boston: XanEdu, 2005.
___________. A User’s Guide to the Brain: Memory. Edited by Anthony Palmer. Boston: XanEdu, 2005.
Ten things every child needs. DVD. by Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation. 60. Chicago: WTTV, 1997.
NOTES
[1] John Ratey, A User’s Guide to the Brain: Memory, ed. Anthony Palmer (Boston: XanEdu, 2005).
[2] John Ratey, A User’s Guide to the Brain: The Four Theaters, ed. Anthony Palmer (Boston: XanEdu, 2005).
[3] Ten things every child needs, DVD. Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, 60. (Chicago: WTTV, 1997).
[4] Steven Mithen, The Architecture of the Modern Mind, ed. Anthony Palmer (Boston: XanEdu, 2005).
[5] Anthony J. Palmer, “Consciousness Studies and a Philosophy of Music Education,” Philosophy of Music Education Review 8, no. 2 (Fall 2000): .
