2 . Here are some ways to introduce classical music to your children.

●When you read a story to your children, pick out a classical music piece that matches the emotion of the book.     1     After getting used to reading in time with the music, tell your children you have a special surprise for them. Read them the story in the new way, and they will surely be delighted!

●If your kids are always moving around, try introducing classical music to them by dancing. Instruct your children to listen to the music and dance however the music makes them feel. Parents dance with them!     2    

●Before your kids begin playtime, make a list of classical music pieces with the name of the person who wrote it.     3     Tell them something about the person they picked to listen to. Before long, your children will have a basic knowledge of the person who wrote the piece.

●    4     Make sure your children listen to the music and create their picture to however the music makes them feel. Once everyone is finished, listen to the music again and explain your creations.

●You can pick out three pieces of music to play during the week.     5     At the end of the week have a listening game to see who can remember the name of the piece when you play it. Games are always a fun way to introduce learning concepts.

3 . How music boosts brain

Many people believe that learning an instrument contributes to better educational attainment, cognition (thinking) and intelligence scores in children. But does this musicality translate to better cognition later in life?

    1    

A recent study investigated this question by asking middle-aged and older people to complete a questionnaire on their musical experience and complete cognitive tests. The results showed musical people had better memory and executive function (the ability to stay focused on tasks and control oneself). A good memory, important for playing a musical instrument, translates to people’s cognitive performance.     2    .

Continuing to play

    3    . Currently, amateur musicians show the highest cognitive performance of participants. That’s because continuing to play an instrument brings continued brain health benefits. By contrast, having played an instrument for three years during childhood might not have that big an impact on our cognitive performance later in life.

The “Mozart effect”

The famous “Mozart effect” was based on a study published in 1993.     4    . Sadly, the current study found no association between listening to music and cognitive performance. Cognitive stimulation depends on being actively engaged in activities. Thus passively listening to music doesn’t seem to provide any cognitive benefits.

Study conclusions

Playing an instrument or singing seems to have benefits to our brain health in ageing, according to the study.     5    . The study provides no evidence for this yet and it is also not clear how the findings apply to the general population, since most people in the study were female, well-educated and well-off.

4 . It’s happened to all of us: a song comes on the radio, and we are immediately transported back to a time in our past.     1    

There are a few things that connect tunes with our memories. Music is often a necessary element of many important life events, and it is also very effective in arresting our attention.     2     Besides, the emotional nature of music helps make it particularly memorable.

We often become familiar with a piece of music because we hear it as background music. The more familiar a piece of music is, the more effective it is in bringing back memories.     3     The reason is that we are far more likely to hear a song over and over again than to watch a film or a TV programme in the same way.

Tiffany Jenkins, writing for a culture column, has a different opinion:     4     She tells us how throughout history oral cultures have passed important knowledge from generation to generation through songs because of this characteristic. The rhythm (韵律) and rhyme in lines of songs all serve as memory aids.

    5     This fact corresponds with what many experts call the “reminiscence bump (怀旧性记忆)”, where older adults (over forty) have increased recollection of events that occurred during their adolescence and early adulthood.

It’s clear that our memories and music are closely linked — to the point that music is being used to help Alzheimer’s disease sufferers access memories that they thought they had lost.

5 . Getting older means greater maturity and wisdom.     1     In a society that is aging fast, it has become crucial to find ways to prevent related mental and emotional disorders. Music emerges as a promising tool for promoting well-being of the elderly.

Music has a great power to cause strong emotions and intense pleasure.     2     singing and dancing to music with others is not only fun but also improves mood. Musical activities are great ways to reduce stress because they take our minds off problems. They also help us feel less lonely and more connected with other people.

    3     A song may become a soundtrack for a particular time, such as a delightful party with friends that you had along time ago. Listening to that song allows you to remember all the happy memories from that time.

Finally, music contributes to keeping our thinking skills sharp. It makes our brains work hard in unique ways to understand the rhythm and melody.     4     For example, exposure to background music, particularly classical music, during cognitive (认知的) tasks is shown to improve older people’s cognitive processes, such as processing speed and working memory.

In conclusion, music is a powerful tool to fight against aging-related emotional and cognitive problems. It is an enjoyable and social activity, available to anyone regardless of their background or previous musical experience.     5    

8 . There are hundreds of genres (流派) of music, so while some might like one kind, others might like something completely different. Why do people like different kinds of music?

    1     At the same time, music can also help us feel like part of a group or a culture, especially one that shares an interest in a certain kind of music.

Music can also be nostalgic, that is, it creates a kind of longing for the past. Musicians leave behind a footprint with their music.    2     Even long after the musicians are gone, people still find something in the musicians’ recordings that they can enjoy.

We may also find that the music we like is strongly tied to our memory. Maybe there was a song that someone sang to us when we were little that brings up good memories.     3    

When we listen to music that we like, a chemical called dopamine is sometimes released in the brain, which can make us feel good.     4     There are some algorithms (算法) today that can help pick up on the kind of music we like. When we are streaming music, some programs will let us like or dislike songs.

People’s taste in music can remain the same in their whole life or it can change many times. But the truth is, we don’t know all the exact answers to why people like different kinds of music — or sports, or food, or colors.     5     We are all different people who like different things.

9 . Music is considered a great creation. It can be seen as creativity in the pure form. In society, for some people, music is a “pastime (消遣)” while for others, it is a “lifestyle”.     1    

Music is a great source of entertainment (娱乐). Though people are different in culture and language, they enjoy music and get entertainment from it. It may be part of advertisements on TV or ring tones on mobiles.    2    

Music helps communicate thoughts and feelings.    3    In this situation, music is a good way to express them. This is also the reason why some songs get more popular among the public as compared to others. It is so because people connect with some songs more.

Music sends messages to listeners. We all have observed on television many times that in certain background music is played in the scenes (情景) that describe sorrow.     4     In this way, music actually communicates with listeners without the help of words. It is interesting to know that music itself is so powerful that it does not need words.

    5    Music has deep effects on the mind and spirit of people. It directly affects the hormones (荷尔蒙), which creates a feeling of pleasure in the listener. It is because of this reason that listening to peaceful music makes us less worried or nervous.