Moulden 1

Ethan Moulden
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
18 February 2016
Essential Question: How does music affect students brains?
Working Thesis: I believe that students and young adults are positively affected by music and
they will have a higher rate of obtaining information, learning, and language development.
Refined Thesis: I believe that music has a positive benefit on the brains of all students and it will
allow them to perform at a higher level than other students. Music will benefit the rate of
graduation and learning, language development, and it helps children with disabilities learn more
efficiently.
Annotated Bibliography
"11 Facts sabout Music Education." Dosomething.org. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
The article above shows how students will benefit in the long term from music and
musical education. Students that partake in music lesson and learn how to play a musical
instrument will have a larger vocabulary and will have higher critical thinking skills. This is
because they are in contact with Latin and Greek roots in music terms and they have to use parts
of the brain that people who to do not play music do. The article also says that many students

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with dyslexia and other mental disabilities that have trouble focusing will benefit from music
lessons and music playing because it occupies the brain and will keep them focused and
entertained. This is important to the topic because it demonstrates how the students will achieve
higher grades and music will help students with mental disabilities.
Brown, Laura L. "The Benefits of Music Education." PBS Parents. 2003. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
This article talks about the increased spatial knowledge of students. In music these
students will be challenged with the task of listening to other sections and how the music will
flow together. They will be asked to find counter melodies and sections that will complement the
overall theme. This translates directly to learning because students will have a higher ability to
detect and analyze how things are put together and how they interact. This translates directly to
the classroom because students are asked to apply what they have learning and connect that to
what they have learned in the past. This is important to the topic because it shows how the
knowledge of learning music will translate directly to the application in the classroom, which
will boost the grades of students and help them in the long term.
Kerchner, Jody L., and Carlos R. Abril. Musical Experience in Our Lives: Things We Learn and
Meanings We Make. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2009. Print.
This book demonstrates the real world application of music to teenagers lives. It shows
the importance of how music helped many young students by participating in their high school
marching band. The students discuss how it positively impacted their lives and how they grew
mentally and physically more advanced through the art. They detail stories of the students as
they discuss how they grew closer as a group and developed leadership qualities of the course of
the year. It also shows how they became aware of the roles of individuals. This helped to

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develop their spatial knowledge and their perception of one another and the music that they
played. This is important to the topic because it shows the development of the students minds
and their abilities to grow as a group through music as well.
Kullmann, Dimitri M. "Brain." Oxford. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
This article analyzes the effects of music on a human brain. It details that people will tap
along or keep time with music, while others will sing and hum to the music unknowingly. This
is a result of music flowing directly into the motor system to affect the bodys actions. It also
discusses the effects of music on a larger scale. The article shows that music is meant to bring
and bind people together. The author believes that many people have lost sight of the real
purpose of music, which is to unite people together. He believes that now people are just
mindlessly listening to the music, instead they should be using it to embrace their feelings and
time with other humans. This article is relevant to the topic because it shows the effect of how
the motor system is effected by music and how mentally disabled students can positively benefit
from a musical background.
"Music Matters for Body and Mind." News in Health. Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
This article begins to discuss the effects of music for the mentally disabled. It discusses
the positive effects of music for those that are mentally or physically ill. It also shows how the
brain reacts to music when it is played. The front of the brain is known as the prefrontal cortex.
When music was played during a study, it showed that the prefrontal cortex was lit up on a MRI.
This shows the direct activity between music and the brains activity. It was shown to bring up
emotions and memories from the patients. This is because memories are directly related to the

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prefrontal cortex which is triggered by music. This related to the topic because it shows how
music can trigger memories and will help with learning and memorization, also it will help
mentally handicapped patients focus and learn more efficiently.
Phillips, Carolyn. "12 Benefits of Music Education." Childrens Music Workshop. Web. 17 Feb.
2016.
This article begins to talk about how music involves the brain in learning and
comprehending material. There are two sides of the brain and music encompasses both sides of
the brain for learning. The left side of the brain is used to process language and comprehending
words, the same way that music is interpreted as a language and is read off of a page in the same
manor. However, the interpretation does not stop there. The right side of the brain is used for
creativity. This side of the brain is used to interpret the style in which the music is to be played.
This can regard the emotion, whether it is sad, slow, and longing or it can be happy, upbeat, and
light. This is important to the topic because it shows how music will encompass all sides of the
brain and stimulate it to help learning and increase students critical thinking skills.