Brain research fascinates me. New findings are especially interesting as I work to crack the code on what makes Grace tick (and all of us, really). One way to describe Grace's difficulties is by saying that she has "indigestion of the nervous system." A therapist recommended a good book to us, A Users Guide to the Brain, by John Ratey, psychiatrist and leader in the field of ADD and ADHD. This book illustrates the four "theatres" of the brain and helps shed light on where things might be getting jumbled up for Grace.
Recently I've gotten interested in the subject of music and the brain, which is endlessly fascinating to me as I explore the touted benefits of music for young children (both to play and to listen to) as well as reflect on my own musical history. For example, am I a left-brain musician? It would appear to be the case as I excel at sight reading--I can read almost anything you put in front of me on the piano, flute, or penny whistle--yet have found no success in picking out more than the basic chords and melodies on my guitar and have real difficulties learning to play a piece "by heart." I'm a very logical and literal person, (left brain) yet I think I'm creative too (right brain). And what makes me love or dislike a song? The lyrics? The timbre? The pitches? The rhythm?
I'm currently reading two books that address some of these issues: This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel Levitin and Between Couch and Piano: Psychoanalysis, Music, Art, and Neuroscience, by Gil Rose. This is really exciting stuff to me, and I can't wait to see what role music "plays" in Grace's (and Johnny's) development.
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2 comments:
Sarah - Johnny totally has "the look." He soooo has the Daphey Duck/Steven Keaton look and you know it. What a sweet picture.
Kate
This is a great blog setup here. I hope mine will be as nice. Phone Books
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