A couple years ago, I was scratching away at a cello (after a 25-year layoff), and my teacher was working with me on improvisation.  So, I was intrigued by reporter/keyboardist Greg Toppo's USA Today piece earlier this week on a study of the brain scans of musicians. I was particularly struck by this: "...when musicians improvise, they're using the same part of the brain that responds to a simple request: Tell me about yourself." It provides an insight into the minds of musicians and, no doubt, will add to the mystique of jazz music.  There aren't huge implications for music instruction here, though it is a reminder that improvisation, which helps teach music theory, could be a greater part of music instruction in the schools.

Another recent article, Jim Holt's write-up in the New Yorker of recent brain research on number sense, actually could do more to inform early-years math instruction, though maybe not right away.  The article suggests that, because some math activities are taking place in the verbal parts of our brain, a person's native language can affect math abilities. Specifically, native speakers of some languages might have superior number sense if the language handles numbers in a simple (one-syllable, please) and logical (not like French, where the word for 99 is equivalent to 4 x 20 + 19). An excuse for poor knowledge of math in some countries?  Hardly. But it's an interesting finding.

An amazing (to me) aside in the article, if I'm reading it correctly, is that 1/4 of adults get 7 X 8 wrong.  Time to bust bust out the flash cards, old folks.

P.S. Kudos to USA Today editors for letting a beat reporter and sometimes keyboardist Greg Toppo write about something other than schools from time to time.

P.P.S I recently read a good book along these lines, This is Your Brain on Music.

(Photo by Flickr user riaskiff used under a Creative Commons license.)