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The Neural Melody By Sarah Hogue Music is an example of a piece of culture that does not change through time. The same biological factors contribute to a consistent reprisal of similar musical "greats". We just might not have a choice in what defines our culture. An issue that was raised with the topic at hand is the question of whether contemporary art has little or much in common with classic art; however, art, in itself, is such a broad subject, therefore to attempt to make an argument worthy, I will focus on one particular area of art: music. Are the effects of contemporary music (1950's- present) similar to those of classical music? Music#039;s impact on society can be seen throughout history. The influence of music on society and individuals can be clearly seen in modern history from Thomas Jefferson’s penning of the Declaration of Independence to Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Each of these men and their contributions to our society were heavily influenced by music during these crucial moments in history. Although Jefferson and Einstein lived in different periods in history, experiencing different genres, music continued to have an effect on the brain and on behavior. Responses to music are easy to be detected in the human body through brain chemistry and it has been proven that music influences humans both in good and bad ways. Music affects the amplitude, frequency of brain waves, breathing rate, electrical resistance of the skin, and it has been observed to cause the pupils to dilate, increase blood pressure, and increase the heart rate. For example, it has been studies that classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate to relax to the beat of the music. As the body becomes relaxed, the mind is able to concentrate more easily. Furthermore, baroque music decreases blood pressure and enhances the ability to learn. For instance, Mozart#039;s music activates both the left and right brain. Activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, causes the brain to be more capable of processing information. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. In 1982, the University of North Texas performed a three-way test on postgraduate students to see if music aided memory. The students were divided into three groups. Each group was given three tests - a pretest, a posttest, and a test a week after. All of the tests were identical and the groups were randomized. Group 1 read the words with Handel#039;s Water Music in the background and they were also asked to imagine the words. Group 2 read the same words also with Handel#039;s Water Music in the background. Group 2 was not asked to imagine the words. Group 3 only read the words, and was not given any background music. The results from the first two tests showed that groups 1 and 2 had much better scores than group 3. The results from the third test, a week later, showed that group 1 performing better. This shows the blatant effects of classical music on cognition. . It has been studied through the experimentation of plants and music that plants that are placed near a speaker playing classical music grow strong and healthy. Likewise, rats were placed into two different boxes. Rock music was played in one of the boxes while Bach#039;s music was played in the other box. The rats could choose to switch boxes through a tunnel that connected both boxes. Almost all of the rats chose to go into the box with the classical music. Along with classical music, plants that are exposed to the frequencies of soft rock music, such as Elvis, also grew stronger, yielding the same results from two very different genres, showing that classical and contemporary music do, in fact, yield good effects on the brain. If classical music and soft rock seems to have a good effect on the brain, then what genres of music do not? In these same experiments, hard rock music has been the culprit of yielding bad effects on the brain. A group of students took an egg to a rock concert and placed the egg in front of a speaker. By the end of the night, the music had literally hard-boiled the egg! Rock music, when exposed to a growing plant, results in the plant’s death; however, rock music is not the only genre to yield bad effects on the brain. During the experimentation with the plants, classical music that involved dissonance caused the plant to shrivel up and die, similarly, much of today’s hard rock music contains a fair amount of dissonance and also yields this same result, showing that classical and contemporary music also does, in fact, have similarities when yielding bad effects on the brain. One cannot deny the power of music on the human body. Along with the experiments I have mentioned above, there have been numerous other studies conducted on this topic. In conclusion, contemporary music has both good and bad effects on the brain, as well as classical music; therefore, one must conclude from studying the similar effects on the brain that the music of today, ranging from the Beatles to NSYNC have the same potential of longevity as Mozart and Bach experienced in their time. From a psychological standpoint, music seems to be creating the same responses in people today as it has for years; therefore, our contemporary culture may not be as disposable as one may think. Sources: Terry Watkins. Is Music Neutral? http://www.av1611.org/neutral.html Laurence O#039;Donnell. Music and the Brain http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html