TRUE OR FALSE - Can Mick Jagger read music? Is amusia a real thing? Does music improve plant growth?
- mypopchoirsing
- 12 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Test your music knowledge by deciding if the following statements are true or false. The answers come from a variety of experts, including our own Alex Fiddes, My Pop Choir owner/director.
1. Tone deafness is a real condition.
2. Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, released an entire album that he created in space.
3. The oldest known instrument discovered so far is a drum.
4. You will lose your vocal range with age.
5. The vagus nerve is connected to singing.
6. There is no scientific reason why music makes us feel good.
7. Music improves plant growth.
8. There are very few successful music artists who can’t read music.
9. Some people cannot get pleasure from music of any type.
10. Music can improve heart health.
1. Tone deafness is a real condition: TRUE but …
Tone deafness is a genuine neurological disorder called amusia, affecting only an estimated 4 % of the population. Amusia can range in severity from a mild difficulty in recognizing melodies to a complete inability to distinguish between different musical notes. Source: Psychology Today
As well, there are people who are unable to perceive rhythm (known as “beat deafness”), but this affects only about 3% of the population.
But for most of us, who find challenges both with recognizing musical notes and rhythms, Alex suggests that “it’s more about being self-conscious. You need to get out of the way of your own head by clearing your mind and allowing your expressivity to come forth.”
2. Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, released an entire album that he recorded in space: TRUE
The album, titled Space Sessions: Songs for a Tin Can, was recorded by Hadfield when he spent more than 140 days at the International Space Station.
Over time, the conditions of space affected both his guitar playing and his singing. Hadfield has stated that he had no interest in becoming a musical sensation; he simply wanted to document his time in space through music.
Source: The Tribune, McGill University
3. The oldest known instrument discovered so far is a drum: FALSE
The oldest musical instrument discovered so far is a Neanderthal flute, estimated to be 60,000 years old. It was discovered by archaeologists in Slovenia in 1995 and was made from the femur of a cave bear. Initial skepticism led researchers to reproduce the artifact to prove that it was not created randomly, perhaps by biting animals. When a tune was played on it, they had their proof.
Listen to it here:
4. You will lose your vocal range with age: TRUE but …
According to Alex, as you age you lose some flexibility, which is the key to your vocal tone. “Your singing structure is such a delicate operation. If there is muscle tension it will directly interfere with vocal flexibility and therefore quality. As you age some of that flexibility goes.”
But the rest of his comments are reassuring: “Vocal practices and routines and awareness of your body and your health – all of that plays into keeping you with 90% control over your vocal structure. Only the remaining 10 % is out of your hands.”
Although there is going to be a time when the upper range of the true soprano is affected by age, Alex assures My Pop Choir singers that there will never be a time when biological realities mean we can’t hit high notes at choir, as our Voice One music is a half octave lower than the range of a true soprano. “If you come regularly to our weekly sessions and sing a bit at home, you will never be limited by range at choir. But you always need to do warm-ups and bring awareness to your voice.”
The member workshops on the My Pop Choir website include a variety of techniques, warm-ups and advice that focus on warm-ups, tone and flexibility.
5. The vagus nerve is connected to singing: TRUE
The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve and the longest in the human body. It originates in the brainstem and extends down through the neck, chest, and abdomen. This nerve is responsible for controlling the muscles in the larynx, which houses the vocal cords.
When we speak or sing, the muscles within the larynx adjust the tension and position of the vocal cords. The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in controlling these muscles, allowing for the modulation of pitch, volume, and vocal quality.
The vagus nerve also contributes to the resonance – the quality and richness – of our singing voice. It helps to define the vocal tract’s shape, and affects the muscles controlling the soft palate, both of which influence the resonance and timbre of our voice.
Source: vagusnerve.com
6. There is no scientific reason why choir makes us feel good: FALSE
In the same way that exercise boosts endorphin flow, singing also releases the brain’s “feel good” chemical - resulting in a sense of euphoria, enhanced immune response, and a natural pain relief. Singing also triggers the release of oxytocin, which helps relieve anxiety
As you sing in a choir, you focus on your breathing and physical performance, giving you a break from the brain-chatter and worries that occupy your mind throughout the day. Mastering a new song can deliver a real sense of achievement, build self-esteem and increase confidence. It also exercises our memory, flexes our concentration, and tests our listening skills.
Source: University of London
7. Music improves plant growth: MAYBE
Whether or not blasting Beethoven or Taylor Swift could help plants grow has long been a matter of scientific debate. The TV show "MythBusters" tested it out, finding that plants exposed to music grow better than those left in silence, but the mythbusters themselves deemed the results “inconclusive,” as they didn’t trust their own gardening skills!
On the other hand, researchers in China say that music can significantly improve plant growth. Their study establishes that plants that “listen” to music have been found to grow an impressive 10 % more leaves, take in more sunlight, and produce more food. They call this groundbreaking concept “acoustic farming.”
Source: Earthcom
8. There are very few successful music artists who can’t read music: FALSE
Many of us have heard that none of the Beatles could read music. But the list of other major music artists who also don’t read music may surprise you: Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift among others.
So how is it that we have their charts? “It’s as easy and as complicated as listening and writing the notes down,” Alex says. “Transcribing is a whole career for people, who can hear pitch and rhythm, and then create the notation - a language in itself.”
And what does Mozart have in common with the Beatles? The eighteenth-century composer created most of his music in his head, just as they did. But not only did Mozart compose for full orchestra, he also went on to write out his music with complete notations (and rarely any revisions).
In a letter to his father, written while he was finishing the composition of Idomeneo in 1780, he wrote: “Well, I must close, for I must now write at breakneck speed. Everything has been composed, but not yet written down.”
9. Some people cannot get pleasure from music of any type: Sad but …. TRUE
Musical anhedonia is a rare neurological condition. About 3-5% of the population are born with this condition, but a small percentage have acquired it through brain damage, as in the case of a stroke.
People with the condition have no trouble perceiving or identifying music, or even describing the mood the music is supposed to convey, according to Robert Zatorre, a McGill University neuroscientist. "They know what it's supposed to do for you. But they get no sensation out of it."
Source: CBC.ca
10. Music can improve heart health: TRUE
Music can alter your brain chemistry, and these changes may produce cardiovascular benefits, according to a number of different studies. Simply listening to music improves blood vessel function by relaxing arteries.
And whatever rhythms you have listened to while exercising can help your heart rate and blood pressure levels to return to baseline more quickly.
Not surprisingly, heart attack survivors have found that listening to music eases anxiety.
Source: Harvard Health
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