Fran Rauscher doesn't touch her cello anymore. It did weird things to her mind. It transformed her from a child prodigy into a prodigious research scientist who, at 36, is out to convince anyone within earshot of her lilting voice that music is a key to unlocking secrets about the brain. Without bowing her own cello, which she hasn't played in 12 years, she keeps quietly producing evidence compelling enough to convince juries of skeptical scientific peers. In short, by studying groups of toddlers and college students, Rauscher and colleagues at the University of California Irvine's Center for Neurobiology of Learning have shown that people can enhance some higher brain functions by playing or even listening to music.
Music can enhance reasoning abilities at any age.
Complex music, such as a Mozart Sonata, stimulates the brain. Simpler types such as hard rock may get feet moving but not make brain circuits fire faster. We think we have a powerful weapon for educators. Each child could have a chance to reach full potential. She quit playing as a professional about 12 years ago, in part because as a perfectionist, she couldn't stand hitting sour notes.