Weird & Wonderful Facts About The Music Industry

It’s possible that you’re reading this while listening to songs on your phone or iPod. Music is a part of everyday life so much so that we may not fully notices its presence.

But do you know everything there is to know about the music industry? Discover some amazing facts* below.

1. No member of the Beatles could read or write music.
2. Your heartbeat will mimic the beat of the music that you are listening to at the time.
3. Depending on the version of a song that is heard first (either the original or cover), that will be the preferred version.
4. In 2007, a study found that plants grow faster with the help of classical music.
5. Have you ever had a song that’s stuck in your head, repeating over and over? That’s called an earworm.
6. The Real Slim Shady by Eminem was written 3 hours before the final album cut was due to the record company.
7. A study in 2015 found that babies will remain calm for twice as long when they are listening to a song than when listening to people talk.
8. 1 in 10,000 people have perfect pitch, meaning they have the ability to recognise a pitch without reference.
9. The Japanese national anthem, at four lines long, is the shortest national anthem.
10. The longest national anthem is the Greek national anthem at 158 verses long.
11. The inventor of Stratocaster and Telecaster, Leo Fender, could not play guitar.
12. The harmonica is the world’s best-selling musical instrument.
13. Termites eat wood at a faster pace when listening to heavy metal music.
14. Monaco’s orchestra is larger than its army.

Which of these surprised you? Tell us in the comments!

*Source

Is Our Favourite Music Genre Linked to Our Personality?

Could our preferred genre of music really link to our personality?

A study conducted by Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, believes that our musical tastes and personality types do, in fact, link. Professor North carried out extensive research on the social and applied psychology of music, specifically the relationship between pop music culture and deviant behavior in young adults, music and consumer behavior and musical preference in everyday life.

The study was conducted over a course of three years where the Professor asked over 36,000 people in more than 60 countries to rate a wide range of musical styles in order of preference - there was also a questionnaire that measured certain aspects of personality.

The results showed:

• Blues fans: have high self-esteem, are outgoing, creative, gentle and mostly at ease
• Jazz fans: have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease
• Classic music fans: have high self-esteem, are creative, introverted and at ease
• Rap fans: have high self-esteem and are outgoing
• Opera fans: have high self-esteem, are creative and gentle
• Country and western fans: hardworking and outgoing
• Reggae fans: have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease, but not hardworking
• Dance fans: creative and outgoing, but not gentle
• Indie fans: have low self-esteem and are creative, but aren't hardworking or gentle
• Bollywood fans: creative and outgoing
• Chart pop fans: have high self-esteem, are hardworking, outgoing and gentle, but not at ease or creative
• Soul fans: have high self-esteem, are outgoing, creative, gentle and at ease

Professor North said that his objective was to study why music was such a significant part of people's identity.

He said, "People do actually define themselves through music and relate to other people through it but we haven't known in detail how music is connected to identity. We have always suspected a link between music taste and personality. This is the first time that we've been able to look at it in real detail. No one has ever done this on this scale before."

Sourced from: http://psychcentral.com/lib/preferred-music-style-is-tied-to-personality/

The Power of Music: Can Music Reduce Stress?

Music has a unique link to our emotions and can affect our moods. It is proven to be a successful stress management tool.

Listening to different genres of music which we enjoy can have a huge effect on our bodies and minds, for example slow, classical music has a relaxing effect on us, slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and decreasing stress levels. Music has the ability to grab our attention, distract us and help us explore our emotions.

Everybody has a different musical preference so only you can decide which music you would prefer to suit each mood however, classical music is definitely worth a try when selecting calming music, especially before bed as it is peaceful and will help to induce sleep.

When people are stressed they tend to not listen to music as they feel this is even more aggravating and a waste of time, but when stress is reduced productivity is increased, so it is definitely worth a try.

Try to incorporate music into everyday life whether it is putting a CD on in the car or in the shower, or even listening to the radio whilst you take the dog for a walk. Singing can also be a great release of stress and tension, so give it a try!

Research on music

For hundreds of years, music has been used to treat illness and connect the body and the mind. Scientific studies have tried to measure the potential benefits of music, their results have shown:

·         Music can bring order to distressed or disabled children by encouraging their coordination and communication.

·         Listening to music on headphones reduces stress and anxiety in hospital patients.

·         Listening to music can help depression and self-esteem in elderly people.

·         Music reduces emotional distress and helps the quality of life among adult cancer patients.

Meditation

Certain music can be used for meditation to help the mind slow down and relax, however not all music is appropriate and the same music may not work for everyone and music with no structure may irritate some people.

The sound of nature is often used for relaxation for example the sound of water so people can build an image in their heads to reduce stressful thoughts.

Progress Academy offer many different music lessons for those who are wanting to learn to play a musical instrument!

Interest music facts

There is undoubtedly a mass of weird and wonderful facts about music and some we're going to share with you!

Did you know?

Listening to music during a work out measurable improves someone's physical performance.

A person does not essentially like an original version of a song because it is better; they like it because it was the version they heard first.

It is possible that one of your favourite songs is such because it is associated with an emotional event that occurred in your life.

There wasn't one member of The Beatles that could read music.

Heartbeat can mimic the music that you are listening to.

The inventor of the Telecaster and Stratocaster, Leo Fender, couldn't actually play guitar.

The much-loved Christmas carol Jingle Bells was initially written for the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

Loud music can influence a person to drink more in less time.

A song that is repeatedly playing in your head has a name: an earworm.

Listening to music triggers the dopamine chemical in our brains.

Anything more to add? Post them in the comments! Visit our website to view all of the academy's music lessons and more!