Music Processing in Babies’ Brains

When you sing, bounce, dance, and play with music, in class or at home, at least eight areas of baby’s brain are activated at the same time.
Here’s a peek into what happens in babies’ brains during music experiences:
* Auditory cortex: Hearing you sing, baby’s brain processes incoming sound waves.
* Visual cortex: Watching you move, baby’s brain processes incoming light waves.
* Sensory cortex: Feeling the action of dancing or playing with instruments, baby’s brain processes tactile feedback.
* Motor cortex: As your baby moves their arms, legs, tongues, etc. during music, this activates baby’s motor cortex.
* Amygdala: Your baby’s emotional response to music lights up the amygdala.
* Cerebellum: Your infant’s cerebellum lights up during movement.
* Hippocampus: Music enhances the brain’s ability to store memories.
* Corpus callosum: Music activates the corpus callosum, which connects and synchronizes the two sides of the brain.

Music Experiences in the First Year Shape the Brain for Lifelong Learning

During the first three years of life, our brains grow at an extraordinary rate:
With every new experience, brain cells link to others, and babies’ brains form about 700 new connections per second just in the first year.
Experiences determine which of these neural connections are “saved” for life, shaping brains for future learning.
Because music-making activates so much of the brain during this time of incredible plasticity, music experiences uniquely support growth across multiple domains.
Here are some examples of how music shapes development, along with activities to try with your little ones.

Music Shapes Biology

During music experiences involving face-to-face singing and activities like tapping babies to the music,
important chemicals can be released in the brain, commonly resulting in decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones—
as well as enhanced muscular coordination and tone and regulation of the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems.

Music Shapes Neurology

The visual, auditory, and kinesthetic input inherent in music experiences also stimulates neural connections.
Sensory input taken in through the eyes and ears stimulates the sensory cortex, visual cortex, auditory cortex, cerebellum, and more.

Music Shapes Language Development

Brain imaging has shown that singing engages areas of the brain essential to the input/processing and output/production of language.

Music Shapes Emotional Connection and Self-regulation

Dancing, playing, and singing with babies strengthens the infant-caregiver attachment relationship through the release of hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine,
and serotonin. Singing with babies has also been shown to optimize cortisol levels, both during and after these musical moments.
(High levels of this stress hormone have been found to harm the brain during this early period of development.)

Over time, and with a lot of repetition, songs become a part of children’s long-term memory and serve as tools for understanding the world and integrating life experiences. With each song you sing, you are giving your baby the early, repeated music experiences that build their brains—and fill their souls.

幼兒大腦中的音樂處理

當你在課堂上或家裡唱歌、彈跳、跳舞和演奏音樂時，幼兒大腦的至少八個區域同時被啟動。 以下是在音樂體驗期間嬰兒大腦中發生的事情：

聽覺皮層：聽到你唱歌，寶寶的大腦會處理傳入的聲波。

視覺皮層：看著你移動，寶寶的大腦會處理傳入的光波。

感官皮層：感覺到跳舞或玩樂器的動作，嬰兒的大腦會處理觸覺反饋。

運動皮層：當寶寶在音樂中移動手臂、腿、舌頭等時，這會啟動寶寶的運動皮層。

杏仁核：寶寶對音樂的情緒反應會激發杏仁核，幫助掌控情緒(穩穩安心的心情)，進而增加各感官刺激的記憶

小腦：寶寶的小腦在動作中會被喚起（註：小腦在感覺感知、協調性，和運動控制中扮演重要角色；它也和注意、語言等很多認知功能相關）

海馬體：音樂增強了大腦儲存記憶的能力。

胼胝體：音樂啟動胼胝體，胼胝體連線並同步大腦的兩側。

第一年塑造終身學習的大腦

在生命的前三年裡，我們的大腦以非凡的速度增長：隨著每一次新的經歷，腦細胞就會與他人聯絡，嬰兒的大腦在第一年就每秒鐘形成約700個新的連線。
經驗決定了這些神經連線中哪些是為生命“儲存”的，為未來的學習塑造了大腦。
因為在這個令人難以置信的可塑性時期，音樂製作會啟動大腦的大部分，音樂體驗獨特地支持跨多個領域的成長。
以下是一些音樂如何塑造發展的例子，以及與您的孩子一起嘗試的活動。

音樂塑造生理

在涉及面對面唱歌的音樂體驗和敲擊嬰兒聽音樂等活動期間，大腦中可能會釋放重要的化學物質，通常會導致心率、血壓和壓力荷爾蒙下降——以及增強肌肉協調以及消化、呼吸和迴圈系統的張力和調節。

音樂塑造神經

音樂體驗中固有的視覺、聽覺和運動覺輸入也刺激神經連線。 透過眼睛和耳朵接收的感官輸入刺激感官皮層、視覺皮層、聽覺皮層、小腦等。

音樂塑造語言發展

大腦成像表明，唱歌涉及對語言的輸入/處理和輸出/生產至關重要的大腦區域。

音樂塑造情感聯絡和自我調節

與幼兒一起跳舞、玩耍和唱歌透過釋放催產素、多巴胺和血清素等激素來加強幼兒與照顧者的依戀關係。
在這些音樂時刻期間和之後，與幼兒一起唱歌也被證明可以最佳化皮質醇水平。 （在發育的早期階段，發現皮質醇分泌過高，這種壓力荷爾蒙會傷害大腦。）

隨著時間的推移，隨著大量的重複，歌曲成為兒童長期記憶的一部分，併成為瞭解世界和整合生活體驗的工具。
每唱一首歌，你都會給寶寶帶來早期的、重複的音樂體驗，這些體驗可以建立他們的大腦，並填滿他們的靈魂。