Music stimulates both the right and left sides of the brain as well as the limbic system, which aids in musical and emotional responses. Since the limbic system is responsible for long-term memory, using music while learning new material may help retain the knowledge.
Music's physical effects on the body include an increase in molecular energy, altering muscle energy tones and scales, rhythm's effect on heartbeat, a change in metabolism, stress reduction, alleviation of low energy, emotional release and stimulation of creativity and thinking. According to Dr. Roy J. Paget, classical and baroque music (1750 to about 1850) elicit a more consistent response from the body and brain. This is perhaps due to the fact that classical music's rhythm (60 beats per minute) and pitch are compatible with a human's brain wave patterns.
Research on subjects studying while listening to classical music has shown that the music (played at a level where you can still hear a normal conversation take place) decreases blood pressure and slows heart rate, slows down brain waves and relaxes muscles. Listening to classical music while taking part in either active or passive learning can increase spatial learning, reasoning and memory. In a study of what is known as The Mozart Effect, students of all ages listened to selected compositions by Mozart. In addition to the above findings, digital images of their brain activity closely matched Mozart's compositions. Also, at a study done at UC Irvine's Neurobiology Learning Center, subjects took standardized tests before and after listening to a Mozart composition. The participants' scores increased their spatial and abstract reasoning scores.
Dr. George Lazanov, a foreign language professor, designed a learning system for his students that involved using baroque music to learn half the semester's vocabulary (about 1,000 words) in one day. His system allowed students to learn a new language with 85% to 100% accuracy. In another study in Hong Kong, boys between the ages of six and fifteen who had learned to play an instrument in the school's string orchestra scored higher on verbal tests than a group of boys who had not had musical training. The orchestra members were also able to add to their vocabulary more easily.