Classical Music

[Erudite]

Oppps! I posted my "Educational Moments" thread a long time ago and I've never come back to add some info to it. Sorry about that! I'll try to be better. I'm wrapping up a term in the next week here and have some interesting research to share with you! So here goes!

You know how you've heard that "Mozart makes kids smarter"? (See The Incredibles if you haven't...lol). It's partially true, but not fully studied. The initial testing in this area looked at playing classical music (Mozart is not specifically mentioned) to kids and then giving them a test. And giving the same test to kids who hadn't listened to music. The kids who did listen did better on the test. This test has been replicated multiple times enough to say: Mozart makes kids smarter...on a test given right after the music is played.

What has not been studied are the long term effects of classical music. We don't know as yet if several hours a day of classical music might help the brain in some specific way. Would playing it while you're studying help you retain information? or organize information in a more logical way? or solve more complex problems? Those connections have not been made as yet.

What is known about music in general is that low thumping beats have an effect on the heart beat and thus can control mood. That is...bouncy happy song make us feel bouncy and happy. Somber music makes us somber and so on. Further, a combination of beat and lyrics stays with us for much longer than you would normally think possible. For example...how many of you can still sing most of the words to "Walk Like an Egyptian" from our high school years? I know I can and I haven't heard the song in EONS until I heard it just a few weeks ago.

The reason that is important is that beat and lyrics can have either positive or negative effects. We all know about the horrid songs out there that discuss immoral or illegal things that we don't ever want our children to hear. On the other hand, combining beat and lyrics can also be a highly effective means of learning. Many teachers now are using music more fully in the classroom because it is a way to help students learn everything from prepositions to the layers of the Earth.

Music has a lot of power and a lot of potential power. Classical music is still an unknown quantity, but, depending on the mood of the music, it can be a beneficial means to help students in the learning process....and if nothing else, most of it is beautiful.

[Dia Minha]

Thanks for sharing E! I found it very interesting. It makes me want to do my own science project. I came up with three different ideas to add to our list for ideas for future science fairs.

I know for me, when I'm feeling tired and have no desire to do housework or encourage my kids to do their chores, that it is very helpful to put on some upbeat music. The "My Girl" soundtrack is the soundtrack to many a Saturday morning at our house. It has a lot of dance type music and really gets us moving. Within the first few beats I feel a lot more energized. Usually the kids are right behind me. I would love to see if just the music would work on my kids or if it is me getting up and getting busy that gets them up and busy.

We have also used music to set a reference atmosphere in our home on Sundays. There is something about listening to only hymns or Primary music that really helps us maintain a Sabbath day observance.

While reading I was reminded that I have read somewhere that dancing to music is supposed to help with math skills. Especially for those like my kindergartener who seem to do better if they can do something physical while learning. (She has learned all her letters and even how to read, by writing.) I would love to either read a study on this concept or perform one of my own. I use to hate science while in school, because of all the memorization. However, I have learned to love investigating and learning knew things through experiements and research while helping my kids with science projects or experiments.

Very interesting stuff.