(PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE) - Music lessons. A trip to the theater. Experiences like these can help students recover from cataclysmic natural disasters like the LA fires, according to experts in music and the brain.Research shows that learning to play an instrument improves listening skills and language development.Neuroscientist and Associate Professor Assal Habibi, PhD, is director of the Center for Music, Brain, and Society at the University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.She said music students see improved decision-making, planning, and focus."We're not just giving them a toolbox of musicianship," said Habibi, "but we are giving them a toolbox to have better emotion regulation and better impulse control, and perhaps better respond to stressors around them when natural disaster happens in their environment."The center works with children in the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, and researchers noticed improved resilience during and after the COVID lockdowns.They're also working with several children affected by the Altadena fire - kids who are part of the Los Angeles Children's Choir, which is based in nearby Pasadena.Habibi said participation in musical and art experiences is especially helpful in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, because it facilitates access to emotion."Some of these students may not be able to really express what is going on for them, and the fear and anger around all that happened so fast," said Habibi. "But by going to seeing a musical performance, it gives them a connection and access to their emotion and a way to express themselves."As schools rebuild after the fires, Habibi said she hopes art and music education will be available to help students recover and flourish.#ArtsEducation, #MusicTherapy, #LAFires, #DisasterRecovery, #MusicHeals, #ArtsForHealing, #BrainAndMusic, #MusicEducation, #ArtsInSchools, #YouthOrchestra, #LosAngelesArts, #EducationMatters, #MusicAndMentalHealth, #HealingThroughArt, #ChildDevelopment, #TraumaRecovery, #EmotionalWellness, #NeuroscienceOfMusic, #MusicForKids, #TheaterEducation, #ArtsInEducation, #CreativeTherapy, #MusicAndResilience, #YouthEmpowerment, #MusicAndBrainDevelopment, #SupportingStudents, #CommunityHealing, #USCResearch, #MusicAndMind, #ExpressiveArts

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