Are you listening to music, or just hearing it?

Being smothered by music his has its pros and cons. We live an an age where music is everywhere. In our cars. In our offices. In the kitchen. In the gym. It is everywhere. I've found that there are far more people hearing music, than those who listen to music. What's the difference? In my eyes (or ears) hearing music is the equivalent of eating a quick breakfast of oatmeal and a banana before sprinting off to work. It makes your morning go a bit better. You didn't put much time into choosing what you were going to eat. It wasn't savoured. You didn't think much about where it came from, or what ingredients made up its flavour. It served a purpose. Get me through my morning meetings without a grumbling tummy.  This is how many people hear music. Its background noise that you can think to, or warm the car up for the drive to work. Now. Listening to music is a very different experience. Listening to music would be more like sitting down to devour a delicious meal you've been looking forward to all day. The wine compliments the main course, and there are flavour themes that flow and contrast from the appetizers to the desert. Every bite is embraced. Each flavour note is savoured. It's like sitting down with a close friend, and intently listening to their latest story from recent travels. You're engaged. What they have to say makes you think and reflect. Your mind is in the palm of their hand. This is what listening to music feels like. The musicians take the wheel. You are left to be swept away by their music. Listening and hearing music are two very different things. Hearing music is no sin, but should not replace listening to music. We've become obsessed with reading the labels of our free range organic yogurt. Lets start doing the same with our music. Who wrote it? What about this makes me love it? Who is playing bass? Where did it come from? How does this make me feel? If everyone asked questions like this, and if everyone took some time to truly listen to the music... our music industry would change over night. Next time you have 20 minutes to yourself. Sit down in a big comfy chair, and listen to the music.     Music Education Drastically Boosts Academic Success It has been proven by countless studies that playing an instrument does wonders for developing brains. We know that it giveschildrens minds the ability to think in ways that significantly improve literacy leading to better academic success in many other areas. This is called neurophysiological distinction, and the fastest way to develop it, is by learning an instrument. Via merriammusic.com Surgeons and Pigs Feet Prove Music Increases Productivity. Researchers asked15 surgeons to sew up incisions made in dead pigs feet, because theyre most similar to human skin (nice), in their lab. The surgeons had to carry out two identical wound repairs using layered stitches, on two [...]

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