Brain Benefits of Music

Professor Sarah Wilson is Head Of School, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Sarah is an internationally recognised expert in Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology. Her research program has advanced our understanding of the neural basis of human cognition and behaviour.

"I have two streams of research. One is in the broad area of cognitive neuroscience, and it focuses specifically on music neuroscience, so music in the brain. The other area is more clinically focused and it looks at how we can use psychological strategies, including music, to rehabilitate people after brain injury, so looking at the relationship between mind and brain and what happens when we have a brain injury."

"The experience of music is really a whole-brain activity", says Professor Sarah Wilson, Head of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne. "When we’re listening to music, what we see when we put people in the scanner is that large areas of their brain light up – both hemispheres. That’s because music involves many different networks or systems in the brain,” Professor Wilson says.

“When we think about music, it is something unique to being human. Other species, animals, they don’t really use music in the way that we do. They might have song, or calls, but these are more simple, for mating purposes, or the like.

“No other species uses a complex musical system like we do.” Professor Wilson explains that while you’re listening to music, you’re giving your brain a general workout. “You’re not only exercising the music-related bits, you’re also exercising your memory, you’re exercising the language system, you’re exercising all these other networks. So, that’s what, potentially, is protective. It’s based on that use it or lose it principle.”

"Imagine if we had routine, family-based activities that engaged music and allowed children to feel comfortable singing and performing, without that pressure of expertise or perfection, but that it was a natural part of our everyday life. These would be things that I think would help us, as a community. "

The brain benefits of music | Pursuit by the University of Melbourne