Scientists used to believe that music only influenced the creative part of the brain, the right hemisphere. But they have studied brainwaves and concluded that music also impacts the left side or logical hemisphere of the brain. By examining the electrical activity throughout the cortices on both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, scientists have uncovered how music influences the different areas of the brain. In order to locate and observe the different cortices, scientists divide the brain into four lobes. They have determined that music directly influences the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes of the brain. Scientists have shown that music produces a secondary response in the fourth lobe, the occipital lobe. Music is processed according to the different jobs of the cortices. In the frontal lobe, rhythms are analyzed in the prefrontal cortex, lyrics cause activity in Brocha’s area, and stimulation of neurons in the motor cortex may cause an individual to tap his feet. The auditory cortex in the temporal lobe allows music to be processed through the ear. Musician can create activity in the visual cortex located in the occipital lobe. The right cerebellum’s function is to analyze rhythms and more mechanical parts of music.

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Music and the Brain