My mom required my three siblings and I to take piano lessons for at least two years when we were younger. I enjoyed playing, so when my two years were up I decided to keep going. I played for another four years, but my life started to get busy and I had too many things on my plate, so I quit piano for good. I have somewhat regretted my decision, and noticed a decline in my math skills during the past two years, and other areas in school as well. The absences of math and cognitive skills will dramatically affect a person’s life, because without these skills it makes it very hard to become a successful person in the world’s view. Contrary to what the New York Times article, “Music and Success” by Samuel Mehr stated, listening to music or playing …show more content…
In the beginning the article poses the question, does music make you smarter? Early on there is evidence why people might think music would make someone smarter, but then Mehr proceeds to say, “That is a misguided assumption. Correlation does not imply causation. These associations do not establish, as many people believe, that music makes you smarter” (Mehr). He states that there are some logical reasons music could possibly make someone smarter, but Mehr thinks there is no proof that music can actually make someone smarter and more prosperous in school. Although the result of playing or listening to music does not make one smarter, Mehr thinks music is crucial for the growth of an individual because it puts joy in a person’s …show more content…
Without these types of skills it would be very hard for someone to do well in school, and would be even harder for them to become prosperous in the long run. People that play musical instruments should stick with them and keep playing them their entire life, because no matter what, it will pay off. I’m disappointed with the decision I made a few years ago when I quit piano because my cognitive skills have somewhat diminished. I also do not receive the joy I used to get from playing the piano anymore, which is one of the biggest things I miss the most from playing. Hopefully I will pick it up again sometime in the near future, because quitting the piano was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever
According to Laurence O’Donnell, “Music is thought to link all of the emotional, spiritual, and physical elements of the universe.” This proves that music is more than a simple class teaching random notes. It is a common denominator between mind, body, and learning. One scholar shows that music causes a response that can affect a person’s mood; this is directly related to how a person acts upon their emotional response to music. He later talks about how music can have a positive effect on memorization and brain function (O’Donnell). The Center for New Discoveries in Learning stated, “Learning potential can be increased a minimum of five times by using 60 beats per minute music” (qtd. in O’Donnell). Most of the music that follows these types of beats is classical music such a Mozart and Bach. This is the type of music taught in schools, thus, enhancing a student’s ability to learn.
While it is true that physical activity is highly beneficial not only for us physically, but also for us mentally, learning to play an instrument benefits us in countless ways. There was a study done that showed increased executive function when individuals exercised. An article discussing the study defined executive function as, “skills important for planning and organizing, focusing on schoolwork, resisting impulses, self-monitoring and using strategies to achieve goals” (Hellmich 4d). Therefore, evidence shows, and I highly agree, that physical activity is beneficial. But music is equally, if not more advantageous than physical activity. Physicist Gordon Shaw and psychologist Frances Rauscher gathered together a team of neurobiologists, mathematicians, educators and musicians at the University of California in order to research the relationship between music education and cognitive abilities. According to an article in the New York Amsterdam
There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...
The idea of the Mozart effect began in 1993 with a study conducted by Rauscher, Shaw & Ky. This study involved 36 university students taking three different IQ spatial reasoning tasks and for each test used either Mozart’s sonata for two pianos in D major and relaxation music was played, silence was also used. The results of this experiment showed that students who had listened to the music of Mozart had better results for the spacial reasoning tests in comparison to silence or relaxation music. The results also showed that the impact of Mozart’s music was only temporary and only lasted for 10-15 minutes. Overall this study was very basic and had numerous flaws such as the sample size and also the variety of tests used to look at the impact of music (Rauscher, Shaw & Ky, 1993). In 1997 Don Campbell’s book The Mozart effect popularised the claim that music makes children smarter. This book created a public interest in music and brain development. The book uses Rauscher’s experiment as an example of what Mozart’s music can do which in this experiment shows a temporary increase in spatial reasoning, this however was misinterpreted by the public as an increase in IQ. The popularisation of the...
Motivation is one of the key elements in all teaching. To motivate is to provide the student with an incentive for learning the material being studied. In music teaching, this incentive for learning should be found in a joyful learning experience that can be achieved by using the appropriate teaching material combined with the proper teaching method. In Kodály's teaching method there is a balanced combination of these two elements that is applicable from the very beginning of music studies to the most advanced professional level. For example, for young children, the desire to learn to play on their instruments the authentic native folk songs they know, understand, and sing combined with the application of a child development approach is a powerful motivator; it is also one of the basic principle tenets of the Kodály Method. Listening or playing to complex music from early childhood may improve a child's ability to learn, memorize, think logically, and be more creative generally. Such is the belief engendered by the cutting edge of today's educational research. Much of today's published educational research centers around the development of a child's neurological capacity to learn. For example, in Owensboro, Kentucky, all children in Daviess County's elementary schools received piano lessons in the year 1997-98. The idea was to develop the mind, not strictly to make music. Everything in those schools - from learning to play chess, to being regularly exposed to the visual and performing arts, to learning the ABC's in Spanish as well as English - was calculated to increase neuron connections following the basic idea of the Graduation 2010 project. During the next 12 years, a research team at Western Kentucky University will follow up on this research in the hope that this project with a common sense approach will have a major impact on the students' achievement and capacity to learn. In Hungary, similar research was done between the years of 1969-1973 focusing on the effect of the Kodály Method in teaching elementary school children. Among the research findings, it was determined that additional music education resulted in a combination of high creativity with emotional sensitivity, greater thoroughness or exactness in the children's school work, and inner control in the children's personality. Furthermore, the research demonstrated that the Kodály musical training not only increased the students' level of creativity but increased it to the level where it surpassed the level predicted by measures intelligence.
Many sources show that children that play some sort of instrument have improved creative and critical thinking skills. It is essential to keep music programs in schools. It is not only important for students to play music because it improves test scores, but because
According to the Music Unlocks Success in Children (M.U.S.I.C.) Foundation’s website, musical training develops certain parts of the left side of the brain used for language and reasoning. Sharpening these skills can make it easier for grade school students to problem solve in other aspects of learning such as math and science and help them make every day decisions. The Foundation notes that students are able to solve these problems by thinking more creatively. This can lead to higher scores on standardized tests. With higher test scores schools will receive more funding. They, therefore, will be more able to afford the programs they are considering getting rid of. The College-Bound Senior National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers showed that in 2001, students who were involved in music scored significantly higher than those with no music participation.
The position that is being argued is that music should stay in schools. This author is making the claim that music makes children excel in their education. This author uses many different sources. The author relies mainly on studies to back up his argument. The article is recent.
As well as to encourage the child to branch out to try different activities from the general music programs, such as small ensembles, choruses, orchestras, and bands. In, “Musical Training Offsets Academic Achievement Gaps,” concludes that musical training appears to enhance how children’s nervous systems processes sounds in a busy environment, such as a classroom, or a playground, which can enhance memory and attention spans (29). Not only musical training can help with focusing skills in the classroom, but as well as their communication skills. Where the speaker has receivers uninvited attention, being attentive and being able to comprehend to what is being discussed and responding without diverting the conversation due to distractions. In, “Music and Early Literacy,” Paula Telesco, Associate Professor of Music Theory and Aural Skills, states that participating in music programs can
All cultures on Earth have signs of music. Music affects humans in both positive and negative ways. Classical music not only lifts the mood, it also lowers blood pressure and heart rate while bringing the mind into a relaxed state. The mind can then concentrate and stay more alert. All of which enhance the brains ability to learn and retain what it has learned.
Besides my maternal grandmother, no family member had significant talent for musical instruments. I think people can learn instruments with enough practice but desire to learn the instrument is essential to success. I appreciate the sound a piano makes and would love to be able to play the piano but I am not motivated enough to pursue
How does music affect the brain? It has been said for years that listening to music can help the brain retain information, relax and cause a state of happiness. This is a widely accepted theory all around the world. Terms such as the Mozart effect suggest that classical music is the best for brain stimulation. Music is also processed differently in the brain than speech and other everyday noises.
As a matter of fact, music actually improves many of the skills used in these other classes. Music education is proven to increase, reading, language and math skills. As expressed by Dr. Kyle Pruett, Clinical Professor at Yale School of Medicine, Language competence is a key factor to social encounters. Music strengthens the capacity to be verbally competent. Music helps students with the learning process of reading and language (Brown).
To test whether or not this hypothesis is true, one should not do what every other researcher in this field has done in previous years: measure the immediate intelligence level after receiving music lessons through IQ tests or something similar. Rather, one should test for a statistically significant difference between the success of musicians and nonmusicians in their futures. This can be done through observing successful and failed business starters and their past musical experiences. By looking at successful business starters and owners and comparing them to failed business starters, one could whether or not there is a correlation between musicianship and success as an entrepreneur, one would be able to determine if playing an instrument actually has a role in success later in life. Very few, if any, studies have been done on people’s musical abilities and their success in the future, creating an area that has the potential to end the arguments between these opposing viewpoints by coming to a conclusion based on career success rather than the inconsistent results of immediate cognitive
Learning to play any musical instrument, benefits an individual in all aspects of life, whether it 's academically, socially, physically, or emotionally. Instruments that were created to make musical sounds are categorized into five main groups; strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboards. And all it takes is dedication and admiration in order to successfully learn how to play an instrument. I believe that musicians, those who have musical ability, have an advantage over other individuals who don 't have the knowledge to play an instrument. Becoming a musician will also open up so many opportunities that are undeniably gratifying.