Limb Charles, Your Brain on Improv

Summary:
In the TedTalk that Charles Limb gives, he shows a thorough explanation on the experiment he
conducted on analyzing the brain activity during music improv. He evaluated the brains creativity during
musical improvisation. Limb uses the functional MRI to take pictures of brain activity while playing
music. He proceeded this by studying the brain activity when playing the piano that had minimal
interference with the magnetic MRI. The experiments done were playing a musical number that was
memorized versus playing a musical number based on improvisation. When improvising, he found a
certain area of the brain was shut off which is considered self-monitoring and an area of the brain was
greatly tuned on, this being the self-expression area. His language area lit up, expressive
communication. In conclusion, he claims that music is a language, theres is neurological basis to it.

Evaluation:
This TedTalk is very resourceful to my research topic, he clearly has scientific evidence that proves
music affects the brain in a magical but scientific way. Limb is a jazz-musician himself, this gives me a
superior quality of credibility to depend on his work because it is something he experiences, and he
generated multiple experiments, meaning he is just as interested as I am. He wants his audience to feel
hopeful and engaged in the future scientific findings of music that researchers like himself will come
across. All the work hes done studying the brain activity in connection of music is facts and theories and
science, this is reliable to my topic.

Reflection:
I understand that music alters the brains language and transforms people into becoming expressive. In all
ranges of relations to music from singing, rapping, playing, listening or composing, it is a language
empowered by music. These findings also made me realize how difficult it is to pinpoint on the how and
why the brain works the way it does, this leaves me more interested to want to find out more information.
Citation (APA style):
Limb, C. (2012). Your Brain on Improv. TedTalk.

To view Charles Limb TedTalk click here

Moreno Sylvain, Can Music Influence Language and Cognition

Summary:
In this research article, Moreno discusses about the different experiments and studies found to suggest
that music can improve behavioral performance, including intelligence. The studies found also predict
that music can modify the brain at functional and structural levels. A major domain of the brain greatly
influenced by music is language. The features in music are linked to the features in language. The studies
that Moreno includes relate to discovering the differences in the brains of musicians versus non-
musicians. Results show that musicians have a larger anterior half of the corpus callosum than non-
musicians, this meaning that intensive training in instruments have increased and faster communication
and creativity. Because their communication is better, they are more creative and in a way much smarter.

Evaluation:
This source has scientific data and evidence about the link between music and the brains activity, it
proves that music does alter the brain's creativity and enhances behavior such as emotion, mood, language
and more. Moreno gives a deep and detailed explanation of each study he includes, this gives the readers
a better understanding and gives me a reassurance that Moreno does know what is being conducted and
what all the research means to scientists, researchers and musicians. With all the studies he provides and
discusses, he wants to make sure it all proves the theory of music influencing creativity and language.

Reflection:
The brain has many parts and areas that can resemble creativity and language, but with the studies
conducted specifically for musicians versus non-musicians makes the findings and discovery 0of the brain
activity much limited and more convincing. Musical training gives musicians a higher performance in
communication because theyre brain is trained to memorize musical numbers and rhythms which in the
end gives them a higher creative imagination.
Citation (APA style):

Moreno, S. (2009). Can Music Influence Language and Cognition. Contemporary Music Review, 28(3),
329-345.
 Gupta Robert, Music is Medicine, Music is Sanity

Summary:
Robert Gupta is a violinist, in his TedTalk he informs the audience about an inspiring story that relates to
neurobiology and music. He met Nathaniel Ayers in 2008 at a Walt Disney Concert Hall, Gupta was
analyzing Mr. Ayers expression and behavior during the concert hall performance and what he saw
influenced him into finding out how the brain reacts to music, more specifically, he wanted to see how it
affected those with mental health issues, like Mr. Ayers. Although there is no scientific evidence that
Gupta found or provides, it is all emotion and behavior that he analyzed. At a violin lesson, Mr. Ayers,
who is mentally-ill and schizophrenic, transformed into a calm, charming and trained musician. Mr. Ayers
understood music more than anything else, music allowed him to put his thoughts and delusions and
shape them through imagination and creativity. Music formed a language for him that helped him forget
about his schizophrenia.

Evaluation:
Guptas analyzation and experience is related to my research, it is about behavior and music and how
there is a language created through creativity. Even though he did not test or experiment on Nathaniel
Ayers, he personally saw realistic evidence of the power of music affecting peoples behavior and
language in the moment.

Reflection:
The story of Nathaniel Ayers is very inspiring and can help inspire other neuro-researchers or others to
search for the power of music influencing the brain. Scientific data doesnt have to be based on facts or
scientific studies, it can be built upon realistic experiences such as Guptas experience with Mr. Ayers.
The fact that Mr. Ayers quickly changed from being disturbed to an engaging and trained man in the
seconds of listening Gupta playing Beethoven on his violin is remarkable.
Citation (APA style):
Gupta, R. (2010). Music ia Medicine, Music is Sanity. TedTalk.

To view Guptas TedTalk click here

 Bhatti Adrian Mehmood, Human Emotion Recognition and Analysis in Response to
Audio Music Using Brain Signals

Summary:
In this study, there was an experiment conducted to analyze the power of music on the emotions and
behavior on people. The genre of music chosen for this experiment were electronic, rap, metal, rock and
hip hop. The emotions recognized from these genres were happy, sad, love and anger. The features that
were reported were domains of time, frequency and wavelet, these helped classify and recognize the
emotions.

Evaluation:
This provides thorough proof of the link between language and music and how people develop different
behaviors when exposed to a certain genre. The type of evidence found is appropriate to my research
because in their results, they found that all ages in each group experienced a similar emotion to the same
music genre this means that everyone gets to slowly form a language influenced by music.

Reflection:
The different technology that was used in these studies were interesting to see, there are many ways to
analyze the brain activity. They focused more on the human behavior in person and saw their expressions,
this can correlate to language.

Citation (APA style):

Bhatti, A. M., Majid, M., Anwar, S. M., & Khan, B. (2016). Human emotion recognition and analysis in
response to audio music using brain signals. Computers In Human Behavior, 267-275.

Yu, The Shared Neural Basis of Music and Language

Summary:
In this article, Yu explains that the human music ability plays a role in the evolution of language and the
similar features music and language correlate to one another. With the help of MRI studies and behavioral
tests, they finalized that semantic processing of language relates to melodic analysis of music. It was also
found that the neural basis of music and language based on behavior linked to rely on a mechanism of
auditory-motor integration.

Evaluation:
This article has an overload of scientific data and definitions, making it a highly-advanced study that can
relate to my research topic. It is more science than personal experience as in Guptas. Since there is a lot of
proof and experiments included in this article, it would provide evidence to my topic.

Reflection:
There is a spontaneous amount of different experiments to find the brain activity while music is in the
presence, the MRI seems to be the most credible technology that researchers can use to pinpoint certain
parts of the brain areas. It was interesting to see their type of study, it was more specific in terms of who
was affected the most. The fact that their evidence proves the shared neural basis of music and language
is spontaneous.

Citation (APA style):

Yu, M., Xu, M., Li, X., Chen, Z., Song, Y., & Liu, J. (2017). The shared neural basis of music and
language. Neuroscience, 208-219.

Beckstead, David Improvisation :Thinking and Playing Music.

Summary:
Beckstead explores on the improvisation in music from an educational perspective. He also explains the
importance in brain research that describes a distinct cognitive activity area. This expresses music
learning and language. The experiments conducted were studying the implication in the music classroom
in light of the brain research findings and association with improvisation in the music classrooms.

Evaluation:
The experiment was done with high-school students, the researchers looked more specifically in a certain
subject in music, this being improv. Improv greatly relates to creativity, their findings of the music
classrooms amplifying the students creativity is profound. This different type of study gives my
researcher a broader and unique proof.
Reflection:
Since there is new different information introduced to me in relation to the musics influence on the brain,
it's interesting to see the unique way music can affect humans. In this situation, it is inferred that
improvising gives students a chance to learn better and form creativity like a sixth sense.

Citation (APA style):

Beckstead, D. (2013). Improvisation: Thinking and Playing Music. Music Educators Journal, 99(3),
69-74.