Approaching Musical Intelligence in the Classroom (continued)

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Musical Education

As stated many times throughout this section, music involves more than hearing music. Musical intelligence requires interaction within the musical realm (Gardner, 1993).

Mozart Effect  During the last decade or so, there has been incredible media hype concerning the effects of Mozart’s music on intelligence and performance (Weinberger, 2000). Claims are made that suggest listening to Mozart for only a few minutes can increase attention, spatial ability, intelligence, and performance on intelligence tests. Many of the claims are unsupported by documented research. The studies that do exist do not support these claims. The research study that began the interest in the Mozart effect was conducted in 1993 by Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Katherine Ky. The researchers concluded that listening to a few minutes of Mozart before engaging in a spatial task may help the brain to perform the spatial task more easily (Weinberger, 2000), although the effect only lasts a few minutes. The music may simply serve as a tool for warming up the brain. The researchers do not make any claims suggesting that a few minutes of Mozart increases intelligence. Some individuals performed slightly better on spatial tasks after listening to the music. The study has been difficult to replicate.

Norman Weinberger (2000) cautions us about the recent media hype relating Mozart, young children, and intelligence. It is important to note that the research that has been carried out on the Mozart effect has been centered on adults in controlled situations. Teachers and parents have been bombarded with CDs and cassettes that claim to boost a child’s potential through classical music. Women are even encouraged to play Mozart to their unborn child. The hype over the Mozart effect could be attributed to America’s never-ending quest for the quick fix (Weinberger, 2000). Many parents, teachers, and educators buy into the hype because it promises increased intelligence with only a couple minutes of listening a day. However, musical intelligence involves a great deal more than simply listening to classical music a few minutes each day. This is not meant to downplay the idea of classical music in the early childhood classroom. There is a benefit in just listening to classical music for the sake of listening to it. It is important to note that supplying background music for children is appropriate at times, but not all the time. Children should also have the benefit of working in a quiet environment, devoid of background noise. When music is played in the background, many children only regard the music as background noise, and may filter it out as they would a dog barking or an airplane flying overhead. Music should be played for children purposefully, when they can fully attend to it.

Children can respond to the music in a variety of ways. It’s critical for the early childhood teacher to understand that music is important and beneficial in the classroom. Classical music is not a quick fix, though. Educators should use caution when approached with a quick-fix method regarding any area in education. This includes quick-fix approaches to intelligence, behavior, and test performance.