Unknown 1 24 January 2013 Music and the Mind: What can Music do for our Blue Ribbon School?

Have we been underestimating the power of music? Does it really have the power to raise our GPA and make our Blue Ribbon school even bluer? Scientists have been investigating the power of the music on the mind for decades. The common saying Mozart makes babys babies smarter is a classic example of the myths of music. But is this actually true? Does listening to the sonatas of centuries thousand-year- old men really increase the intelligence of a 4-month-old baby? Kristian David Olsen, author of The Effects of Music on the Mind, discusses the positive and negative psychological effects that music can implement. The two main characteristics of music that has the potential to improve academic performance are its repetitive nature and its ability to instigate moods and attitudes. One of the main aspects of music is rhythm, or and beat. Rhythm is normallyalso referred to as "timed movement through space and its common language of pattern unites rhythm with geometry. A program in New York called the Learning through an Expanded Arts Program, integrates academic learning with music and the arts. One example of how this program uses music as a tool in learning is with math. They call it "musical math," in which the teacher incorporates rhythm with counting and gaining a grasp on other fundamentals like fractions and multiplication. A Cconsultant of the program, Christine Bard, states, Music helps teach the precognitive skills. It gives students the capacity to trust themselves by providing internal discipline through a highly repetitive structure, (Dean and Gross 618). Because of the connection in rhythmic aspects, music and math are able to be infused and students are able to find a different approach at learning an ancient subject. However, music can help students better

Unknown 2 comprehend other subjects as well. Mary Jane Collett, the Director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Education of the Division of Instruction and Professional Development of New York City Public Schools, offers her input on programs similar to this one: Learning through all the senses expands the learning process to accommodate different learning styles. Opportunities for integrating communication arts, literature, science, social studies, and the arts are limited only by the educator's imagination, creativity, and open-mindedness, (Collett 64). Here Collect recognized that not only its repetitive nature, but also the variety that music provides, makes making young minds more open and accepting to new ways of learning. The second prerequisite when learning is having the right attitude. It is evident that a student will perform better, when interested in learning. Attitude is one aspect effect that music has on people of all ages. Kristian Olsen elaborates: It seems logical to assume that it is more helpful for adults who are less likely to want to do a particular job or activity, but music can change this and give a listener a more positive attitude and motivation. As we will see, by simply listening to pleasant music in the background while doing an arduous task can make it seem so much easier, or in some cases, music may not increase positive attitude, but will ease the strain of an activity, (Olsen). By making tasks less of a burden, music can help improve the efficiency that at which a student does homework, classwork, and even tests and essays. Being able to perform assessments more quickly is also important as standardized tests, like the SATs, become more significant in the later years of high school. Not only does music have the potential to improve a students performance, but it also make those students who have no interest in learning, more involved, and motivated to work harder. This alludes to the aspect of attitude that music can prompt. Scott Shuler, a music consultant in the Connecticut State Department of Education and a professor in the Hartt School of Music, proposes that there are two basic reasons

Unknown 3 why students fail in school: They are lack of ability to learn or lack of desire to learn, and while most students who fail have the ability to do well, they choose not to because their school experience doesn't motivate them, (30). Students at the risk of failing often find solace in music when they are out of school. Introducing music to a school environment may make students more comfortable and interested in learning. Olsen also points out that Musical groups such as choir, orchestra or band help bring people together as well as improving communication skills, group work, and forming peer groups, (Olsen). Lastly, music can give the student the opportunity to unearth their own level of individuality and to learn their own style, creating the better-rounded students that specifically colleges now look for. It is important to keep in mind that music may be able to in pattern building and attitude, but does not have the ability to increase ones IQ or turn a baby into a genius. Kristin Leutwyler, and editor at Scientific American Magazine, stresses: the popular press have suggested that anyone can increase his or her IQ by listening to Mozart. This supposed quick fix is false, (28). Supported by years of research and collected data, this statement is both true and accurate. Do not, however, give up hope on the music-integrated-academic outlook. I, personally, did an experiment during the recent very stressful midyear period when studying. Finding a continuous six-hour video on YouTube playing nothing but Mozart compositions, I listened to classic music while studying. Although the actual scores of my tests are not yet data that can be used see if this experiment was accurate, the results were still interesting. I found that listening to it while studying math and Spanish was helpful in keeping up a good pace without outside sounds distracting me. However when studying for more scientific subjects like Biology and Chemistry, I had to turn off the music in order to focus. This might have been because mMath and Spanish are subjects that I found easier than the scientific subjects, or because the scientific subjects were

Unknown 4 more integrative and I needed to pay more attention to them in order to relearn some of the ideas. In either case, I found that the effects music has would not be standardized with students, because there are too many aspects to consider, for example the subjects the student find easier and their music preference. Nevertheless, it still has the potential to help student reach better academic performance. So should we be taking all this into effect? Instead of cramming for hours the night before, should our students be relaxing while listening to Mozart or heavy metal music? Maybe some Beatles? Coldplay? The WhoT-Swift? Owl City? And should parents be pushing their kids into expensive piano classes? Forcing them into the school band or choir in order to get their GPAs higher? No, of course not. Music is definitely a great outlet for those stressed out from the daily rush of student life. It also has the potential to make those not as motivated in learning, more interested in taking part during class, and finding work less of an arduous of a task. Whether playing Mozart to babies really makes them geniuses is still a question that will take years more to answer, but that does not mean its not worth a try.

Unknown 5 Works Cited Collett, Mary Jane. "Music as the Basis for Learning." The Education Digest May 1992: n. pag. Web. Dean, Jodi, and Ila L. Gross. "Teaching Basic Skills Through Art and Music." Phi Delta Kappan n.d.: 613-18. Web. Leutwyler, Kristin. "Silly Season." Scientific American Apr. 1994: n. pag. Web. Olsen, Kristian D. "The Effects of Music on the Mind." The Effects of Music on the Mind. N.p., 22 Feb. 1996. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. Shuler, Scott. "Reaching At-Risk Students Through Music Education." NASSP Bulletin76.544 (1992): 30-35. Print.