Читать книгу Teaching Piano to Students With Special Needs - Mary Ann Froehlich - Страница 8

The brain releases neurotransmitters, chemicals which connect neurons and affect our behavior. Dopamine is a mood regulator and affects our coordination. It gives us a keen sensation of pleasure. When addicts indulge in their drugs of choice, dopamine is released into their systems. Serotonin is produced in the brain stem and also regulates mood. Endorphins, which elevate mood and reduce pain, are released by the thalamus in the limbic lobe. Studies have shown that music making causes dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins to be released by the brain. I have heard more than one teenager say, “I don’t need to do drugs. I have my music.” Whether young people are experiencing music through making it, listening to it, or moving to it, they are enjoying a legitimate “high” in a constructive way, similar to the chemical changes that occur in our bodies after engaging in vigorous exercise.