Academy District 20 in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Anchor Bay School District in New Baltimore, Michigan; Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas … This is just the beginning of the American Music Conference’s 2006 list of the “Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America,” the result of a survey sponsored by the conference and a coalition of leading music and education advocates.

The 2006 roster includes school districts from 31 states whose commitment to quality music education, measured across a variety of criteria, has enabled them to stand out despite pressures on music and arts programs across the country. Even better news is that 86% of survey respondents indicated that music is included as a core academic subject in school curricula, and around 80% of survey respondents cited that their music programs are growing in terms of funding, size of programs, and public and school board recognition.

Musical training might be good for the ticker, suggests a study published in the journal Heart. Specifically, results of the study show that different time measures have different effects on breathing and circulation.

In the study, young men and woman—half of them trained musicians, the other half with no musical training — listened to short tracks of different types of music in random order, for two minutes, followed by the same selection of tracks for four minutes each. Participants listened to Indian classical music, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vivaldi, techno music, and Anton Webern.

Fast music and complex rhythms sped up breathing and circulation, irrespective of style, with fast classical and techno music having the same impact. The faster the music, the greater the degree of physiological arousal. Slower or more meditative music had the opposite effect, with Indian classical music creating the largest fall in heart rate.

Interestingly, the effect was strongest among musicians, possibly because they are trained to synchronize their breathing with musical phrases. The authors suggest that this effect, whether seen in musicians or nonmusicians, could be helpful in the treatment of heart disease and stroke.

Dementias that occur late in life increasingly are studied with the hope that a cure might be found. In order to understand these diseases, doctors administer a battery of tests, which often exacerbate feelings of confusion and anxiety in the patients. Now the American Music Therapy Association in Silver Spring, Maryland, reports that researchers are using music making to begin the testing procedure in a way that puts patients more at ease and gets better results.

In a recent study, 32 patients made music by singing and playing percussion. Unfamiliar and familiar songs were played and questions were asked about those songs to see how much the patients knew and remembered. In another test, patients were asked to play a hand drum and imitate rhythms played by a facilitator and to make up their own rhythms. By way of control, standard tests of cognitive ability were also given.

The two types of tests, the standard and the experimental, showed similar results, suggesting that both measured similar thinking ability. But the researchers believe that tests administered with a music making component are more useful because music elicits a response even from the most uncommunicative patients and patients in latter stages of dementia.

Have you thought about playing at an open mike night or in a house of worship, but just don’t have the courage? Researchers now say that willingness to take risks may be a personality trait that can actually help you to stay healthy as you age.

According to London’s Times Online, psychologists say the rewarding neurochemicals that burst forth in the brains of “high-sensation seekers” are beneficial. When we try something that strikes us as scary, whether it is performing on stage or sky diving, we get an extra dose of dopamine as well as other arousing hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol.

Research suggests that rats that are afraid of new things—a trait that also includes being anxious and fearful—die sooner than more adventurous rats. Curious, intrepid rats also survived cancers 25% longer than their more cautious sisters.

Hurricane Katrina not only devastated the homes and infrastructure of New Orleans, it also devastated lives. Not surprisingly, the Crescent City’s loyal residents have reported depression and stress as they attempt to rebuild their homes and their lifestyles. But how do you rebuild the human spirit? Music is one way.

Using her understanding of how recreational music making improves biological, psychological, and sociological well-being, music therapist Christine Stevens recently spent a week drumming up hope, healing, and wellness in and around the Big Easy.

Stevens, and colleague Constantine Alatzas, offered drum circles and Remo HealthRHYTHMS protocols to more than 700 New Orleans area residents. “Our three-part technique was simple and offered immediate positive outcomes,” says Stevens. First, individuals were asked to request a favorite song. Choices included “Amazing Grace,” “My Girl,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “On the Bayou.” “Next we invited the participant to sing and drum along with the song,” says Stevens, who accompanied the music by playing on a Strumstick guitar.

The final element was to invite others to join in, either by playing drums or singing. “The result was magnificent,” Stevens exclaims. “From college students to hospital staff to residents of FEMA trailer parks and Red Cross tents, everyone welcomed the hope, happiness, and bonding that music making has to offer.”

“The drumming allowed me to play in a way that I haven’t played in a long time,” says Barbara Kuper, director of Nursing Studies at Louisiana State University, who picked up a drum for the first time at a circle at Slidell Memorial Hospital. “It allowed every single part of my body to come alive.”

At a time when New Orleans has few playgrounds, after-school activities, or even street lights, recreational music making found a way to inspire, invigorate, heal, and, best of all, make a battered community laugh and sing.

Christine Stevens’ New Orleans drum circles were sponsored by Remo HealthRHYTHMS, UpBeat Drum Circles, and The Institute for Creative Enhancement. For more information, visit www.upbeatwellness.com.

Results from an ongoing study strongly indicate that musical activity carries significant wellness benefits for older adults, according to study leader Dr. Gene Cohen.

The research project, called “The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults,” looked at a group of seniors averaging 80 years in age taking part in chorale programs at The Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, that began in December 2001.

After two years of measurement against a control group of similar individuals, the music participants reported better health and fewer falls; showed a slower rate of increase in doctor visits than nonparticipants; increased medication usage at a significantly lower rate than nonparticipants; showed greater improvements in depression, loneliness, and morale; and increased social interaction, while nonparticipants decreased interaction.

“What’s significant is that the music making seniors actually showed significant improvement in categories such as falls, social interaction, and overall health, where we might have expected only to slow the decline in these areas,” Cohen says.