Musical and Social Meaning… Part 4

Musical and Social Meaning… Part 4

Controlled research studies on brain responses such as the BRECVEMA (or BRECVEM) Model by Patrik Juslin have provided scientific evidence that music triggers the mirror neuron system of the human brain and stimulates emotional states in the performer and the listener. In other words, neurons in the brain stems will voluntarily discharge when an individual executes a  motor act and involuntarily when he or she observes another person performing the same or a similar motor act.  Thus these brain stem actions are called mirror brain stem responses.  These brain stem actions are of great importance to Christian musicians because worshiper’s and seeker’s brains will respond when triggered involuntarily to musicing that reminds them (mirror responses) of former similar sensual emotive states of mind produced by musicing.  For this reason alone worship leaders must be highly selective of the styles of music they use in the context of public worship.

Also, definitive scientifically controlled studies and clinical practice over many years in Music Therapy by scientists, since the concept was first developed by E. Thayer Gaston, have given great credence to the belief that those who experience music have unavoidable brain responses to the music they hear.  The results of these definitive research projects and clinical experiences have much more credence than a music philosopher or an uninformed worship leader asserting that neither the fabric of the music part of the music nor the landscape that surrounds the music has the power to affect the hearer in terms of understandable real life meaning.