Sunday inspiration: How Music Warps Our Minds

This photo was taken by photographer Jack Bradley and depicts the exact moment this boy, Harold Whittles, hears for the very first time ever. The doctor treating him has just placed an earpiece in his left ear. Date unknown. 

I read a very interesting interview with Don Campbell, one of the authors of Healing at the Speed of Sound.  It covers the connection between music and the brain and body.  Head on over to Salon to read the whole article. I'll just share one extra-treblemaker-centric part:

From a neurological perspective, why is it important to listen to and play music from an early age?The more participation there is with music early on — through singing and movement — the more it simultaneously activates multiple levels of the brain. If you look at the corpus callosum [of someone who plays music] there are more connections made between right and left sides. A child who is moving, dancing and singing learns coordination between their eye, ear and sound early on. And [the experience of participating in music education] helps integrate the social, the emotional and the real context of what we’re learning. There are studies that show children who play music have higher SAT scores, that learning to control rhythm and tempo not only help them get along with others but plants seeds for similar advantages when we get much older.