The brain and rhythm: recently, the online site http://news.sciencemag.org/brain-behavior/2015/06/secret-groovy-drumming-may-be-math, published an article talking about fractals in music. I found it fascinating because I’ve always loved teaching rhythm to students who previously thought it was all indecipherable!
Rhythm in music and in life is a major key indicator of health. What is the first thing a doctor does when she enters the examining room? She shakes your hand and exchanges a few pleasantries, noting the firmness of your handshake and listening carefully to your vocal strength, pitch and timbre. Then she lifts her stethoscope and listens to your heartbeat and respirations. This tells volumes about the rhythm of your overall health.
When we are in a state of health and wellness, as opposed to dis-ease, our breathing is rhythmic and deep, fully oxygenating our blood. When we are not well, breathing is often shallow and erratic. This causes the heartbeat to respond accordingly and have a more rapid and sometimes erratic beat.
The rhythms of the body represent and predict the overall state of health. Having a steady, predictable beat in music then allows you to consciously deviate from that beat/pulse but always return to the steady beat. When students are taught to understand how the basic pulse in music is created, divided and subdivided, they can choose to deviate from that beat/pulse in order to create more exciting music!
Read this article! I know you’ll enjoy it!
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