50 Fun Facts About Music to Inspire Your Music Students

Life just wouldn’t be the same without a favorite song, an upbeat dance number, or a song that takes you back in time. Music is taught in schools to introduce students to a wide range of music genres, teach them to read and create music of their own, and perform music for audiences. Along the way, students might be interested to learn that there is more to music than what meets the ear! Here are some fun facts to get them excited about all that music has to offer!

1. Music can help plants grow faster.
2. Listening to music can reduce anxiety.
3. The oldest known instrument, a flute made of bird ones, is tens of thousands of years old.
4. The shortest song in the world is only 1.316 seconds long, “You Suffer” by Napalm Death.
5. According to an urban legend, playing music while milking a cow might help the cow produce more milk.
6. Babies can hear music while in the womb and can react to the music they hear.
7. There is a band called Vegetable Orchestra, and they play instruments made from carrots and zucchini.
8. The most expensive instrument ever sold was a Stradivarius violin, bringing in nearly $16 million.
9. Music therapy can help heal brain injuries.
10. “Happy Birthday” is the most recognizable song in English speaking countries.
11. Students who take music classes tend to score higher on tests than children who don’t.
12. You can celebrate International Strange Music Day every year on August 24.
13. Your heart rate can sync to the beat of the music you’re listening to.
14. The greatest number of people to play the same piano at the same time is 23.
15. The world’s longest concert performed by multiple artists lasted for 453 hours, 54 minutes, and 40 seconds. That’s almost 19 whole days!
16. Instruments are divided into four families: strings, percussion, woodwind, and brass. Sometimes electronic instruments are classified as a fifth family.
17. There are seven distinct notes in music (A,B,G,D,E,F, and G).
18. The Renaissance saw the emergence of secular music. Before this time, most music was for church services only.
19. It takes 70 pieces of wood to make a standard violin.
20. An “earworm” is slang for a melody or song that is stuck in your head.
21. At one point, the country of Monaco had more people in its orchestra than in its army. It had 85 musicians and only 82 soldiers.
22. The London Symphonic Orchestra was supposed to be on the Titanic, but since the launch of the Titanic was delayed, the orchestra traveled to America on a different ship.
23. Listening to music can improve physical performance in sports.
24. Music can improve memory and help you recall skills.
25. Music can create physical responses such as goosebumps or chills.
26. The word “karaoke” is a Japanese word that means “empty orchestra.”
27. Listening to music can reduce pain.
28. The Beatles couldn’t read music.
29. George Strait has the most number one songs (60!) of any singer in any genre.
30. Jazz music inspired new dance styles that were much different than already existing dances such as the waltz.
31. Listening to music can help you heal faster after having surgery.
32. Hearing music is beneficial for premature babies.
33. Non-musicians hardly ever hear music in their dreams.
34. Listening to classical music might help you sleep better.
35. Singing releases endorphins, which can give you a mood boost.
36. Music can affect your sense of taste, depending on what you’re listening to and what you’re eating.
37. Drums are one of the oldest musical instruments.
38. Listening to sad music can cause a strong feeling of nostalgia.
39. People are less likely to donate money while listening to music they don’t like.
40. The piano is the most popular instrument in the world.
41. The world’s largest guitar is 43.5 feet tall and weighs more than a ton.
42. Playing music improves your hand eye coordination.
43. The longest officially released song in the world, called “The Rise and Fall of Bossanova,” is 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds long.
44. A standard piano has 88 keys.
45. A regular harp has up to 47 strings.
46. Music therapy can improve communication skills.
47. There are over 11,000 different instruments in the world.
48. Ancient guitar picks were made from turtle shells and porcupine quills.
49. To play a Hawaiian nose flute, you have to blow into it with one nostril while clogging the other nostril.
50. The makers of the first violins made their strings out of sheep guts.

Introduce any of these fun facts to your next music class to show your students that there is much more to music than they ever imagined! Also check out these free online music resources!