4 . Have you ever tried reading music? If so, you probably noticed a lot of new symbols and words. Maybe you saw the word presto at the beginning. Perhaps you read piano and crescendo throughout the song.     1     Or maybe you didn’t — if you knew how to read Italian!

Italian is sometimes called the language that sings.     2     However, the link between Italian and music is deeper than that. Today, musical vocabulary is full of Italian words.

However, it wasn’t always so. Thousands of years ago, people didn’t write music. Instead, they passed songs down orally and taught each other to play them on instruments.     3     Later, people in Spain and Italy began putting music to paper for use in church choirs (教堂唱诗班).

Around 1000 CE, an Italian man named Guido d’ Arezzo came up with the four-lined staff (四线谱), which eventually led to the development of the five-lined staff still used in modern music today. Over the next few centuries, many of the people writing music were Italian. Of course, people in other parts of the world were writing music, too. In an effort to standardize written music, many of them used Italian terms.     4     For example, Beethoven sometimes used German words instead of Italian. Claude Debussy used French in “Clair de Lune”.

    5     You might already be familiar with some terms! One example is tempo — the speed of a piece of music. Markings in written music tell the player when the music should be adagio (slow), or allegro (fast). The dynamics, or volume, of a piece of music might begin with piano (soft), then crescendo (get louder) and finally fortissimo (very loud).

5 . Music is arguably the most life-enriching academic subject.     1    . It can bring lots of important benefits to your child’s education, many of which you may not have considered before.

Increase language capabilities

Music and language have a far-reaching relationship. Musical training stimulates the same part of the brain that deals with understanding language. Children who have some exposure to music al education will, therefore, have a greater understanding of tones and how different phrases are arranged.     2    .

Improve hand-eye coordination (协调)

    3    . It takes considerable hand-eye coordination to learn almost any instrument. Those who master their craft are blessed with a unique skill; it’s something that can be applied to other areas of general life. It can also help elsewhere in education, as writing skills and art require the hands and eyes to work together.

    4    

Music is a great way for your child to meet new people and create lasting friendships. If they decide to take up music as an extracurricular (课外的) activity, they’ll be bonding with like-minded children who share their passion. In a time when children are increasingly interested in communicating online and focusing on digital skills, music is a refreshing return to face-to-face contact.

Bring about a sense of achievement

When your child does achieve a musical goal, they get the incredible satisfaction that comes from working hard to obtain something.     5    . Self-trust is one of the most valuable skills a child can have and music is one of the best ways to allow it to develop in your child.

6 . Just Dance, the popular dance platform by Ubisoft is working on becoming more and more accessible. Starting in 2009 on Wii and now available on various devices, the game could be played and enjoyed by so many people worldwide.     1     And now, it will be able to be used and enjoyed by people in wheelchairs as well.

    2     You can compete with other players, choose coaches and pick from a wide variety of tracks and choreographies. Just one look at their website and YouTube shows how big their fan base is. And for good reason.

The platform can get you to dance in the comfort of your own living room. Their choreographed routines are set to popular songs, and their motion-tracking technology can make you feel like it is a complete interactive experience.     3     They can provide you with hours of dancing and entertainment.

Physical activity is important for everyone.     4     According to the Medium platform, more than 420 million games have disabilities. The fact that Just Dance will now be available for people in wheelchairs is a big technical milestone, and a step in the right direction for representation of diverse and disabled people in the gaming community and in the world.

    5     However, prioritizing accessibility will make gaming better for everyone, creating a more understanding and inclusive atmosphere. And although there is still a long way to go, it seems like things are changing. In a good way.

7 . Helena Blumen, a cognitive (认知的) scientist, says the complicated mental multi-tasking that dancing requires engages various parts of the brain at the same time, leading to the strengthening of neural (神经系统的) connections across different regions.     1    . “It’s socially, cognitively and physically demanding,” she says.

Anyone who’s ever felt the irresistible urge to dance to a favorite song knows that combining music and movement can lift your mood and melt away stress. But there’s a lot more happening in your brain when you’re trying to follow even the easiest choreography (编舞).     2    . Tasks like getting around the kitchen or walking to the bus stop can become more attainable if regarded as choreography.

To learn how the mechanisms of dancing work in the brain, researchers conducted MRI scans on older adults who engaged in either dance or a traditional exercise program over six months.     3    , the dancers grew more white and gray matter in the parts of the brain responsible for cognitive processes.

The researchers assume that these brain changes contribute to more neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.     4    . Brain plasticity is similar to the city’s ability to build new roads, repair old ones or even change the direction of traffic based on how often the routes are used and what the city needs.

    5    . A Finnish study of people with severe brain injuries showed that dance-based recovery might improve mobility, cognition and overall well-being. Additionally, research shows that dancing can reduce the risk of brain-related diseases such as dementia (痴呆).

8 . Music plays an important role in our lives.     1     If you’ve created music or have found comfort in playing an instrument or listening to your favorite artist, you will be interested in the science behind why music makes us feel so good.

Unlike food, music isn’t necessary for our survival.     2     Music floods the brain with a chemical called dopamine (多巴胺), which is associated with pleasure, motivation and reward.

Studies have shown that certain pieces of classical music will have the same effect on everyone.     3     Of course, everyone is different and music will make us respond according to our own taste and familiarity. Yet, investigations have shown that some music will give people a universal experience.

Neuroscientists conducted research using PET scans to detect the release of dopamine in the brain when subjects listened to their favorite songs. They later used MRI to view the pleasure center of the brain where dopamine is released and then mapped out its connection with other areas of the brain.     4    

The pleasure center of the brain predicts what kind of music we will enjoy based on the connection it makes to other parts of our brain.

New music fits into patterns already mapped out in the brain by our past musical tastes. It is pleasurable not only because it is familiar, but it is different just enough to feel new and exciting.     5     Broadening musical experience and taste can become a journey of self-discovery, for like any art form, in music we see our humanity.

10 . Can you imagine a civilization without music? Impossible, I would say. In addition, history shows that every culture on this planet has used music all the way.     1    .

They say that music is good for the soul, but what about the heart?     2    . Heart patients were observed at Massachusetts General Hospital. They were recovering from heart surgery. Some patients listened to Mozart’s piano sonatas for half an hour every day. These patients were the ones who had improved heart rates and lower blood pressure compared with those who never listened to any music at all.

Patients suffering from pain have found relief from listening to music. Classical music seems to be the best choice and Mozart and Bach are the most suitable. But heavy metal and other techno sounds can actually excite patients and cause irregular heartbeats, so they are not recommended.

Studies show that simply playing soft and relaxing music while eating can have a controlling effect on how full you feel.     4    .

There was a lot of publicity about the “Mozart Effect” which showed that a group of college students did better at math while they were listening to some classical music.     5    .