MUSIC MAKES YOU STRONGER

"Jealous of the “runner’s high” serious athletes feel after an intense, vigorous workout? Well, newly published research reveals three alternative ways you can release those mood-enhancing endorphins:

Singing, dancing, and drumming.

read more: http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/drummers-high-evidence-that-playing-music-releases-endorphins-49578/

WHY LISTENING IS SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN HEARING

"Listening is a skill that we’re in danger of losing in a world of digital distraction and information overload.... And yet we dare not lose it. Because listening tunes our brain to the patterns of our environment faster than any other sens e, and paying attention to the nonvisual parts of our world feeds into everything........“You never listen” is not just the complaint of a problematic relationship, it has also become an epidemic in a world that is exchanging convenience for content, speed for meaning. The richness of life doesn’t lie in the loudness and the beat, but in the timbres and the variations that you can discern if you simply pay attention." By SETH S. HOROWITZ Published: November 9, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/why-listening-is-so-much-more-than-hearing.html

WHY ARTS EDUCATION IS A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE

“Access to arts education is one of the civil rights issues of our time….Creativity is not a specialized gift. Rather, it is an underlying mechanism of our mental lives. Our brains are constantly choosing: automate or mediate? Do I want the same answer every time or do I want options and novelty?……Because mediation is so extensive in human cognition, our thinking is truly an art form. Without training and practice in both facets of our intelligence, we diminish our brain function.” read full article: http://franklivewire.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/its-about-freedom-of-thought-why-arts-education-is-a-civil-rights-issue/

OLD MAN IN NURSING HOME REACTS TO MUSIC FROM HIS ERA

NEUROPLASTICITY

“The effect of music training suggests that, akin to physical exercise and its impact on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness and thus requires society to re-examine the role of music in shaping individual development, ” the researchers conclude.

3 CHEERS FOR NEUROPLASTICITY!!

http://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-music-enchances-learning-neuroplasticity/

12 THINGS YOU WEREN'T TAUGHT ABOUT CREATIVE THINKING

Just read it...and know that you are human, therefore you CREATE!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201112/twelve-things-you-were-not-taught-in-school-about-creative-thinking

HABBITS OF MIND

http://pebblesinthejar.org/2012/01/18/habits-of-mind-these-do-not-include-rote-memorization-studying-to-the-test-or-worrying-about-funding/

* Persistence
* Managing Impulsivity
* Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy
* Thinking Flexibly
* Metacognition
* Striving for Accuracy and Precision
* Questioning and Posing Problems
* Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
* Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
* Gathering Data through All Senses
* Creating, Imagining, and Innovating
* Responding with Wonderment and Awe
* Taking Responsible Risks
* Finding Humor
* Thinking Interdependently
* Learning Continuously

learn more...the arts make a difference...