SOUND IT OUT…. You might instinctively choose to sniffle to sappy 80s ballads when you're down or blast hard rock to rev you up for an after-noon of housecleaning, but music's effects could be more powerful than you think. Tunes don't just alter your mood, they can also affect your ability to learn and heal. Music activates the “pleasure center” of the human brain, says Laurel Trainor, Ph.D., director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The ebb and flow of music's rhythms and tones activates the same area of the brain that responds to drugs and good food, which means music has a similar ability to relax and stimulate you. Need more proof of music's power?

IT MAKES YOU SMARTER…. Music lessons can boost language and speech skills, memory and attention span, according to research by Northwestern University in Illinois, which noted the long-term effects of childhood music lessons and the way musicians can more easily pick up a new language. And it might sound counterintuitive, but blasting that Metallica album for a few minutes before buckling down may help you learn: Listening to a fast-paced song you enjoy makes you more alert—at least for a little while. “It‟s only a temporary effect,” Trainor says.

IT HELPS YOU HEAL…. Many hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, senior centers and hospice programs routinely employ music therapists, accord-ing to the American Music Therapy Program (musictherapy.org). A study published in the Cochran Review in 2010 found that people recovering from a stroke were able to walk stronger and longer when they listened to music during physical therapy sessions. And patients who listened to Mo-zart sonatas had reduced blood pressure and heart rates and subse-quently much less need for sedatives, according to a study in The Med-scape Journal of Medicine.

IT PROMPTS RELAXATION…. Unwind after a stressful day by listening to slow songs with downward-falling tones and gentle rhythms, Trainor says. Simple tones have traditionally been used as a kind of sound ther-apy to quell anxiety.

"Training a New Generation of Musician’s with the skills that will last them a lifetime”

Brandon F. - Piano, Issac G. - Guitar, Abby G. - Piano, Victoria G. - Voice, Blake H. - Drums, Cassandra H. - Voice, Ryan H. - Violin, Caylee K. Piano, Michael K. - Guitar, Abby K. - Drums, Jacob L. Guitar, Ryan L. Piano, Clarissa L. - Violin, Mathew M. -Drums, Charles M. - Guitar, Sofia M. - Guitar, Michael M - Drums, Benjamin M. Guitar, Roxy P. - Piano, Ianna R. - Voice, Kaitlyn R. - Violin

Zachary G. 12/18, Mallory Reese 12/14, Nathan S. 12/17, Jacob L 12/20