I’ve Got Rhythm, How ‘bout you?
Why is rhythm so important in what we do?…Why is it at the forefront in each of the techniques we perform?…Rhythm has a way of making the greatest impact on the brain.
How?…Good Question! Let’s dive in and get down to the details.
In music, rhythm is the foundation that builds the melodies that we recognize. It is music’s structural support. For example, altering the rhythm of Beethoven’s Fur Elise may create an entirely new feeling to the song. Research and evidence have found that everyone has rhythm. We all can entrain to music that is presented to us. Entrainment means to perceive something and then synchronize to it. If you have ever tapped your foot to the beat of a song, you have entrained. Entrainment allows information to be received on a neuronal level. Specifically, when entraining to music you’re using a complex range of sensory systems besides the auditory system such as your visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular (Nozaradan, 2014). From here, entrainment is then used on the neuronal level to create new pathways, also known as neuropasticity. This is where we use rhythm to make a difference. We use it to access the parts of the brain that otherwise have a hard time activating by creating new pathways in the brain. Rhythm does this by the process I spoke of above, entrainment. (How many times am I going to say it? A lot.) In some circumstances, rhythm creates a predictable structure for clients to anticipate when performing an exercise that is presented to them such as walking. This is particularly great use for those with Parkinson’s. Rhythm creates a structural sound board and a visual in the individual’s mind, proprieceptively and motor-wise, of when to take the next step. Another example, in which rhythm’s predictability helps reshape neural pathways is with those who struggle with motor planning. Again, rhythm provides both an auditory and a visual template in which one can use to plan out their next move whether it be to reach above their head or to kick their foot. Without rhythm, there would be no gameplan. Without rhythm, there would be no change. It is the driving force behind a lot of what you see us NMT’s do from the beginning of the session to the end.
If you have more questions or comments about rhythm I would love to hear them. Feel free to contact me!
“We crave balance but need rhythm.”