Science has yet to explain the mystical power it has over us, like why exactly it can move us to tears, laughter, joy, pain, fear etc.; or why our response to it seems to be innate or primal. However, what the vast number of scientific studies do show, is that the rhythmic frequency of vibrations - otherwise known as music, has powerful and visible effects on the brain that is incredibly unique. Up until around 25 years ago, pre-fMRI technology, music was understood to be processed by the left side of the brain, whilst language was on the right. But with access to much higher quality research tools like fMRIs, which measures brain activity by detecting blood flow, researchers have found that music actually stimulates areas across our entire brain. [1]

For instance, the motor cortex comes into play when dancing, as does the cerebellum which controls our emotions, and that moment when you hear a song and immediately get transported to that time 10 years ago with that person in that place… that’s the hippocampus – your memory system. [2]Then you have the world-renowned case of US congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords who regained her speech using music therapy after suffering brain damage from a gunshot wound in 2011; showing music’s effects on the temporal lobe (processes what we hear) in both the left and right hemispheres (left for language, right for sound). [3]And these are just a few examples of just how much of our brain is covered!