How is music so directly related to health within your brain?

Renee Neltner

"While most activities like visual art, computing, and language largely work in only one hemisphere, music is one of the few activities that stimulates both sides of the brain." According to Robin L. Brey, MD, listening to music can help a person with reactivating their speech center, help them with remembering things, as well as improving coordination. The reason that music has this kind of effect on your brain is because of the stimulating quality it possesses.

"The right brain, often considered the more subjective and creative hemisphere, focuses on the melody in music. The left hemisphere, considered the analytical part of the brain, is responsible for the understanding of musical structure and motor skills, such as playing the violin (Yoon).  Rhythmic structures uniquely affect the brain extensively, such as supplementary motor areas and the basal ganglia, especially when compared to musical styles lacking a steady beat pattern (Phillips-Silver)."

Knowing that the brain responds to music in a way that is stimulating, scientists are starting to believe that, one day,  they will be able to use music to help cure specific diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease. They are thinking that they will be able to utilize music in this manner because it stimulates the parts of the brain that are responsible for integrating neurological and rehabilitative functions.

Sources:
http://funmusicco.com/research-into-the-benefits-of-music/how-does-music-stimulate-left-and-right-brain-function-and-why-is-this-important-in-music-teaching/

 http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/music-therapy-improves-brain-function

Yoon, J. (2000, January 1). Music in the Classroom: Its Influence on Children’s Brain Development, Academic Performance, and Practical Life Skills.

Phillips-Silver, Jessica. (2009, June). On the Meaning of Movement in Music, Development, and the Brain. Contemporary Music Review. Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 293-314