Some think of the arts as something extra…a bonus experience after the “real work” of learning. However, neuroscience shows a different story: the arts are deeply connected to how our brains learn, remember, adapt, and even stay healthy over time.
Art of Learning: How Creativity Powers the Brain
If you have ever participated in a craft night or creative group project with your colleagues, you probably felt mentally tired by the end, at least I always do. That is because creativity doesn’t live in just one corner of the brain; it is an all-hands-on-deck operation.
One study reminds us that creativity relies on a neural circuit (Kaufman, 2025). This circuit is a flexible system that connects and communicates across the different regions of the brain. Newer studies also reveal that creative thinking depends on a balance between the Imagination Network (mind-wandering and future-thinking) and the Executive Attention Network (focused, goal-directed thinking).
This fits into the growing field of neuroaesthetics, a field of study that explores how aesthetic experiences are processed in the brain (Zeki, Bao, & Pöppel, 2020). Research shows us that when we create or experience art, the brain doesn’t just light up in one spot…it lights up all over. These pathways work together to help us make meaning, build connection, and truly understand.
MUSIC: Memory’s Best Friend
Another example of how the arts engage the brain is with music. Research from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (Suttie, 2015) shows that music not only reduces stress and anxiety, but also improves physical health outcomes. Beyond wellbeing, music supports learning and retention (How Music Impacts Cognitive Development, 2025). Pairing information with music boosts memory recall, a truth I know firsthand.
After weeks of trying to help my daughter spell her name, the breakthrough came when I put her letters to a simple tune. Suddenly, she remembered it with ease. The same was true with students in my classroom. Our classroom was often filled with songs and chants. Even now, I find myself saying, “A complete sentence on the left…a complete sentence on the right…a comma and conjunction, so they never ever fight!” – a chant my students and I learned 15 years ago.
From the ABC song to classroom chants and rhythm games, music provides memory hooks that help content stick. It’s not just fun; it’s effective brain science.
Why Creativity Fuels EVERY Lesson
These ideas aren’t limited to art, music, dance, or theatre teachers; they are for every educator, in every subject. The research is clear: the arts make learning deeper, stickier, and more engaging. Here’s what it looks like in the classroom.
| Reaches all Kinds of Learners The arts naturally lend themselves to multiple modalities. From visual and auditory, to kinesthetic, these modalities help educators meet diverse learning needs. No matter who is in your classroom, integrating the arts provides flexible entry points for understanding. |
| Builds a Safe, Connected Classroom Creative expression fosters emotional safety and connection. When students get to create, they often feel more seen and valued. That sense of value spills over into trust and stronger relationships. |
| Encourages Interdisciplinary Learning The arts are a natural bridge between disciplines. A language arts teacher might use visual storytelling to explore theme and tone, while a science teacher could use sculpture to model cell structures. These crossovers make learning more cohesive and memorable. |
| Enhances Memory and Retention While music is a powerful tool for memory, drawing also plays a critical role in retention. According to Meade, Wammes, and Fernandes (2018), drawing activates multiple cognitive processes simultaneously, increasing retention. Instead of traditional notetaking, consider the use of sketches. |
| Why Teachers Need the Arts Educators themselves benefit from engaging with the arts. Whether it's designing a lesson with visual metaphors or using music to transition between activities, creative teaching practices can reignite passion and reduce burnout. The science shows that creativity isn’t just good for students…it’s good for teachers, too. |
| Creativity Calms Us Down Adults can use creative strategies in professional learning or team collaboration to reduce stress, spark fresh ideas, and boost focus. Even short bursts of creative activity like listening to music, drawing, or movement activate neural pathways that calm the mind, foster problem-solving, and increase resilience, helping adults model the benefits of creativity for their teams. |
Recharge and Reimagine with us
If you are ready to see this in action, Region 7 ESC offers hands-on workshops and interactive sessions for educators to experience how the arts light up the brain, how they support long-term learning, and how you can bring these strategies into any classroom.
If you are a Fine Arts teacher, be sure to check out the Fine Arts Webpage and newsletters for upcoming workshops!
Workshops that include creativity, art, or music from different areas at the service center.
Sources
Fioranelli, M., Roccia, M. G., & Garo, M. L. (2023). The role of arts engagement in reducing cognitive decline and improving quality of life in healthy older people: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1232357
How music impacts cognitive development in children [Medically reviewed by Chaitanya Bonda]. (2025, February 4). Lone Star Neurology. https://lonestarneurology.net/others/how-music-boosts-cognitive-development-in-children/
Kaufman, S. B. (2025, January 27). Creative thinking and the balanced brain. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beautiful-minds/202501/creative-thinking-and-the-balanced-brain
Meade, M. E., Wammes, J. D., & Fernandes, M. A. (2018). Drawing as an encoding tool: Memorial benefits in younger and older adults. Experimental Aging Research, 44(5), 369–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361073x.2018.1521432
Nowakowski, T. (2023, November 15). See what your brain does when you look at art. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-headset-shows-you-what-your-brainwaves-do-when-you-look-at-art-180983261/
Petrovsky, D. V., Mobarki, A. M., Sefcik, J. S., Rahemi, Z., Bacsu, J.-D. R., Smith, M. L., & Wu, B. (2025). Longitudinal Association between Creative Arts participation with cognitive function in late life. International Psychogeriatrics, 100048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inpsyc.2025.100048
Suttie, J. (2015, January 20). Five ways music can make you healthier. Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_music_can_make_you_healthier
T. Zaatar, M., Alhakim, K., Enayeh, M., & Tamer, R. (2024). The transformative POWER OF MUSIC: Insights into neuroplasticity, health, and disease. Brain, Behavior, Immunity - Health, 35, 100716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716
Your brain on music. Pegasus Magazine. (2019, October 30). https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music
Zeki, S., Bao, Y., & Pöppel, E. (2020). Neuroaesthetics: The art, science, and Brain Triptychon. Psych J. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.383