Steven Nguyen

UWRT 1103

19 Sept. 2019

Word count: 434

Inquiry Proposal

Can playing or listening to music help improve cognitive abilities? For many people

music can help while studying, however many might be unaware that music can improve your

brain function while studying or doing any activity. All genres of music can help improve

cognitive abilities, but it entirely depends on which genre is your preference. Furthermore, the

reason why I’m asking this question is because of my interest in classical music and orchestra

instruments ever since I began playing the cello in middle school.

After three years of playing the cello I learned about how listening to music or playing

music, specifically classical music, can help improve cognitive abilities. The only thing I knew

was that classical music helped cognitive abilities, so I would listen to classical music while

studying or working on homework. I find this intriguing because over the past few years there

has been more research about this topic that I was unaware about. Two interesting topics I have

learned about involve letting babies listen to classical music to help their brains develop faster

and that your own musical preference helps improve your cognitive abilities rather than a

specific genre, such as classical music. These topics seemed interesting, however I never had the

motivation to fully learn about the topic. The context of this question began years ago and it is

quite broad as the questions applies to all genres of music. The question discusses the possible
benefits of listening to your preference of music while you work, as your brain’s connectivity

changes.

After a quick search for articles, I found two that has interesting details about the topic.

“Music has powerful (and visible) effects on the brain” and “Using Music to Close the Academic

Gap.” In the first essay, it discusses how fMRI’s are used to scan the brain as subjects listened to

music. The second essay goes into how children that learned an instrument were most likely to

be more successful in school than those that did not. A couple of subject words that can be

generated from this question are calming, classical, and modern music, productivity, and music

therapy.

To gain another perspective, I could ask students that have more experience in music than

I do and to gather their input on the topic. In addition, I can find another perspective through my

LBST-1103 class, the course focuses on how music and society correspond. Interviewing my

professor, Dr. Klotz, can give me a perspective into the topic that I might be unaware of. Apart

from this, the question is broad enough to cover the majority of the population who have the

ability to hear, so it is not limited to a particular population or group. My main question about

this question is the science behind how music or certain instruments are able to release chemicals

in your brain changing how it functions or develops. My question could give an insight into new

ways to study or to reinforce study habits that already uses music.