A study conducted in the U.K. contends that regularly attending live musical events can help extend one’s lifespan. The research determined that 20 minutes at a show on a regular basis can lead to a 21% increase in a feeling of well-being, an increase of 25% in feelings of self-worth and closeness to others, and a 75% increase in mental stimulation, all of which can lead to a longer life.
A study team at the University of Missouri published research that joyful music had a significant positive on good health.
A two-year study by researchers at the Brain & Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California showed that exposure to music and music instruction accelerates the brain development in young children in the areas responsible for language development, sound, reading skill, and speech perception. Research in Finland determined that “children who took part in singing classes had higher satisfaction rates at school.”
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Lew Shaw started writing about music as the publicist for the famous Berkshire Music Barn in the 1960s. He joined the West Coast Rag almost thirty years ago and has been a guiding light to this paper through the two name changes since then as we became The Syncopated Times. 47 of his profiles are collected in Jazz Beat: Notes on Classic Jazz. Volume two, containing profiles from 2013-2016 will be available on Amazon soon. He taps his extensive network of connections and friends throughout the traditional jazz world to bring us his Jazz Jottings column every month.
