The Mozart effect. Fact or fiction?

[Virginia]

I'd been wondering about all hype surrounding what has been called the "Mozart Effect" (that if your baby is exposed to Mozart's music he's supposed to grow up to be a genius like the famous composer).  I just want to know what you think about this and if you have some experience or comments to share.

[lindac]

All children are geniuses regardless of what they are exposed to.  It is only because of stresses we put on children that they lose that.

[nhockaday]

I don't think the Mozart effect means that your child will grow up to be a genius of famous composer. It is more along the lines of your baby will be calmer and have an easier time learning.  Have you visited their website? http://www.mozarteffect.com/index.html. They have some really great information on it. Check out their resource section. They have tons of links to articles and sites pertaining to the effects and benefits of listening to music.

What I know is this: I listened to classical music while I was pregnant. I have played classical music for Gabriel his whole life. It has mostly been Mozart but other composers as well. Now he loves music. His face lights up if he hears music, or anything musical, such as a wind chime or a bell. He gets excited if I ask him if he wants to hear music. I think I have instilled a love for music in him just by playing it for him. I believe that he will have an easier time learning to play an instrument because of it. I think any parent, who has done the same as I have, will tell you something similar. Music is a very powerful thing, especially the right kind. It has very calming, even healing effects.

[Ayesha Nicole]

Dear All, 

In an earlier post, I mentioned during my pregnancy that I listened to a lot of Qur'anic recitation for the pre-natal benefits.  I have always enjoyed listening to it since my discovery of it in 1998, and we listen to it and recite it a lot as a Muslim family. 

However, there are many non-Muslims that are intrigued by the mesmerizing and moving qualities of recitation as well.  There is a well known book entitled The Art of Reciting the Qur'an by Professor Kristina Nelson.  Below is a description of the book:

For the Muslim faithful, the familiar sound of the Qur'anic recitation is the predominant and most immediate means of contact with the Word of God. Heard day and night, on the street, in taxis, in shops, in mosques, and in homes, the sound of recitation is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Arab world. It is the core of religious devotion, the sanctioning spirit of much cultural and social life, and a valued art form in its own right. Participation in recitation, as reciter or listener, is itself an act of worship, for the sound is basic to a Muslim's sense of religion and invokes a set of meanings transcending the particular occasion. For the most part, Westerners have approached the Qur'an much as scriptural scholars have studied the Bible, as a collection of written texts. The Art of Reciting the Qur'an aims at redirecting that focus toward a deeper understanding of the Qur'an as a fundamentally oral phenomenon. Focusing on the Egyptian context, and examining Muslim attitudes toward the Qur'an, the institutions that regulate its recitation, and performer-audience expectations and interaction. Kristina Nelson, a trained Arabist and musicologist, casts new light on the significance of Qur'anic recitation within the world of Islam today. This new edition of a landmark study, with a new postscript, will be welcomed by all scholars and students of the modern Middle East, as well as by ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, and religious scholars.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Reciting-Quran-Kristina-Nelson/dp/9774245946


And I also know that the Qur'anic recitation had/and still has a calming effect, as mentioned in the extract of an article below:


5. Recite the Qur'an: The Prophet (SAW) said, "… Qur'an is a remedy for illnesses of the mind" (Bukhari). "The echo of sound has a medical effect and is now widely utilized," says Dr. Greenberg. "The recitation of or listening to the Qur'an has an effect on the body, the heart and the mind! It is said that the [Arabic] letter Alif echoes to the heart and the [Arabic] letter Ya' to the pineal gland in the brain. Dr Ahmed El Kadi [M.D. of Internal Medicine] of Akber Clinic (Panama City, FL) conducted [medical research] and published the effects of listening to Qur'anic recitation on physiological parameters (i.e., the heart, blood pressure, and muscle tension), and reported improvement in all factors, irrespective of whether the listener was a Muslim or a non-Muslim, Arab or non-Arab. Obviously, it can be postulated that those who understand and enjoy the recitation with a belief in it will get maximum benefits," writes Dr Athar.

References
Athar, Shahid, MD. "Modern Stress and Its Cure From Qur'an." www.islam-usa.com.

Greenberg, Jerrold S. CSM = Comprehensive Stress Management. WCB: McGraw-Hill. 1999.

source > http://survivorsareus.com/index.cfm/Need_to_relax_and_clear_your_mind


Being curious by nature, I then wondered about the Mozart effect (of classical music in general)  and what the similarities and differences are as compared to Qur'anic recitation, when I just happened to notice this thread. 

Thank you for this serendipitous moment.   

- Ayesha

[nhockaday]

Ayesha, did you check out the link that I posted above? It gives some really great info and links to other sites that explain the benefits of classical music.

[Ayesha Nicole]

Dear nhockaday,

Yes I did. Thank you.  And I am reading through the site now.  I have loved music all my life and am fascinated with comparitive studies.  I tend to listen to the Qur'an mainly, in order to understand the application of the rules of Qur'anic recitation (phonics of the Qur'an); to enjoy the beauty of the art/sound of recitation, and for learning and teaching my children the Arabic language, in addition to other religious benefits.     

However, I also listen to music sometimes.  There is a wonderful set of classical music cd's that I have called "Sound Health", that we all frequently enjoy.

http://www.abtmedia.com/products_shs.asp

I love to listen to these, especially when I need a little inspirational beat to get me moving for my domestic diva duties (cleaning and such).     And I noticed that the company has some other products that I am going to have to check out and put on my wish list.

Thanks again for the interesting and informational thread.

- Ayesha

[Chris1]

The Myth of the Mozart Effect,  What the Science Really Says  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_effect

Extracts from Web-

A Harvard psychologist analyzed 16 studies on the Mozart Effect, including the original experiment and concluded that any cognitive enhancement was small and within the average variation of a single person’s IQ-test performance.One study found that listening to a Stephen King short story had a comparable effect on spatial-reasoning scores, but only for those who enjoyed what they heard. Is it possible that Mozart’s sonata had simply stimulated or uplifted the subjects.
The most damaging blow to the Mozart Effect has been the failure of other researchers to reproduce the original results. Psychologist Kenneth Steele and his colleagues replicated the experiment in 1999 and found no trace of the Mozart Effect.

The original Irvine study has been widely criticized. The startling results announced by the initial paper were misleading. First, the researchers claimed that the undergraduates improved on all three spatial-reasoning tests. But, it was later clarified, the only enhancement came from one task — paper folding and cutting. Further, the researchers presented the data in the form of Stanford-Binet IQ scores; yet the study only measured spatial-reasoning, one-third of a complete IQ test. To arrive at the full scores, the students’ partial results were inflated by a factor of three.

Other researchers argue that The “Mozart Effect” is only an artifact of the short-term effects of music listening on mood and arousal.

Enough of the research-appreciation of music is acquired effortlessly, much like language, in the early years of our lives provided we are exposed to music.

[nhockaday]

There is much more to the "Mozart Effect" then just improvements on math problems and IQ tests.

[Ayesha Nicole]

Dear All,

I found the following Q & A about The Mozart Effect insightful from the website hat nhockaday provided previously:

Q.  What is The Mozart Effect®?
A.  The Mozart Effect® is an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well-being. It represents the general use of music to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety; induce relaxation or sleep; activate the body; and improve memory or awareness. Innovative and experimental uses of music and sound can improve listening disorders, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, and other mental and physical disorders and injuries.
(For more details, see The Mozart Effect®, pages 27-30.)

Q.  What is the history of The Mozart Effect®?
A.  Research with Mozart's music began in France in the late 1950s when Dr. Alfred Tomatis began his experiments in auditory stimulation for children with speech and communication disorders. By 1990, there were hundreds of centers throughout the world using Mozart's music containing high frequencies, especially the violin concertos and symphonies, to help children with dyslexia, speech disorders, and autism. In the 1990's experiments were begun at the University of California in Irvine with Mozart's music and spacial intelligence assessments. As recently as 2001, new studies in England use Mozart's music to study its effect on epilepsy.
(For details see The Mozart Effect®, pages 15-23 and The Mozart Effect® for Children, pages 8-9 and 11-13.)

Q.  What is special about Music for The Mozart Effect® recordings?
A.  Mozart wrote more than six hundred major compositions during his lifetime, beginning at age five. The clarity, form, excellence of the performance, and frequency response have all gone into the selection of this special series of Mozart's music. The music has been sequenced for different activities. Music containing high frequency for stimulating the auditory system in the brain has been selected based on the work of Dr. Tomatis. The relaxation albums are slower and do not include the higher frequencies. The selections have been sequenced according to key, tempo, and a variety of other psychological, physiological, and aesthetic factors to achieve a variety of auditory, physical, and emotional responses.
(For details see the liner notes in each album and the suggestions at the end of each chapter of the book, The Mozart Effect® for Children.)

Q.  Why is Mozart's music beneficial for learning and health?
A.  Mozart's music is the most popular and researched music for helping modify attentiveness and alertness. The structural and not overly emotional expression helps clarify time/space perception. It is not overstimulating and the structures of the rondo, sonata-allegro form, and variation form are basic ways in which the brain becomes familiar with the development and familiarity of ideas.
(See The Mozart Effect®, pages 27-30.)

Q.  What other music is beneficial for learning?
A.  Each learning environment should be assessed before using music. The time of day, the sounds in the environment such as air conditioners, and outside sounds all modify the way we can concentrate. Each person responds to sound differently when tired or after having a meal. At times, ten minutes of stimulating music that quickens the heartbeat and awakens the imagination is useful (marches, folk, popular). Dr. Georgi Lozanov suggests slow Baroque music for optimal learning (Bach, Handel, Correli, Telemann).
(See pages The Mozart Effect®, pages 78-81 for uses of jazz, pop, ambient, and other styles of music. Also see Rhythms of Learning, Chapter 6.)

Q.  How do I make best use of recordings to improve study and creativity?
A.  Some people are hyper-responsive to sound, and music can distract them during study. Others learn how to select music for their different moods and projects. Generally, the challenge to study comes when we are overstimulated and cannot settle down to focus or we are dull, tired, or bored and cannot get the energy to begin a task. In the two-CD set The Mozart Effect® Focus and Clarity two different types of music help you develop your own style of preparation for study. Once you learn when your mind needs relaxation or stimulation, you can develop a variety of ways to use music to help you maintain good study habits.
(From the insert: Ten Ways to use Music for Studying and Projects, The Mozart Effect® for Focus and Clarity.)

Q.  What is sound healing?
A.  Sound is the vibrational field that makes up language, music, and tone. When it is organized, we communicate words, ideas, feelings, and expressions. In its disorganized form, it creates noise. Sound, whether we are in the womb or even in a coma, reaches our brain and our bodies through skin, bones, and ears. Every person listens in different ways. When rhythm, melody, and harmony are organized into beautiful forms, the mind, body, spirit, and emotions are brought toward harmony. There are dozens of ways in which sound and music is used throughout the world.
(For an in-depth look at music in nursing, medicine, and psychological uses of music, see Music, Physician for Times to Come.)

Q.  How is music used in a healing context?
A.  Music helps release the stress of being ill; it can vitalize, inspire, and reduce pain. Music is not an instant cure for disease, although there is much research on the importance of auditory stimulation in health. The ear is essential for balance, language, expression, and spatial orientation. Music and rhythmic patterning are used extensively before and after surgery and for patients who have had strokes and head injuries. Music Therapists are trained specialists who can assist in physical, developmental, and psychological settings. A musical background is not necessary for the patient. Music reaches multiple areas of the brain, more than just language and therefore can be quite effective in a clinical environment.
(See The Mozart Effect®, index for an extensive list of uses for music.)

Q.  Does music actually seem to help raise people's I. Q.?
A.  There have been many different studies, and probably a hundred different ways to measure intelligence. We know certain music brings us to greater attentiveness, allowing for better focus and concentration. Studies show that playing music early in life helps build the neural pathways that allow language, memory, and spatial development to take place. We know that stimulating linguistic rhymes, dances, movement, and play in the early years are essential to the foundation of bringing the emotions, mind, and body together. Music can be effective in study and assist in concentration. A popular study into the study showed students who listened to Mozart prior to testing scored higher marks in an intelligence test, and was published in Nature Magazine in 1993. The study by Rauscher, Shaw and Ky, is entitled "Music and Spatial Task Performance."
(See The Mozart Effect®, pages 28, 303, 305-306.)

source > http://www.mozarteffect.com/MoreOnTME/FAQ.html


I found the part on music and healing most interesting, since I was trying to compare it to the healing effects of listening to the recitation on the Qur'an. 

- Ayesha

[Ayesha Nicole]

Hello again . . .

In the "Pet Therapy" section of Research & Resources, I found an article that is quite amusing 

The Moozart Effect
After Playing Mozart at Milking Time, One Farmer Has Seen a Dramatic Shift in Cows' Temperament and Production 
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3213324&page=1


And more research and resources from a wide range of topics available here:
http://www.mozarteffect.com/RandR/index.html

- Ayesha

[KL]

The Moozart Effect
After Playing Mozart at Milking Time, One Farmer Has Seen a Dramatic Shift in Cows' Temperament and Production 
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3213324&page=1

The MOOZART Effect!!!

What more research do you need??!

Seriously, whether the original Irvine study was flawed or not, it's quite obvious to me that music (especially classical music) has a very positive effect on people (not just kids), and musicality is something I certainly trying to instill in Felicity.

Here's an interesting article:

http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html

Quote:

Albert Einstein is recognized as one of the smartest men who has ever lived. A little known fact about Einstein is that when he was young he did extremely poor in school. His grade school teachers told his parents to take him out of school because he was "too stupid to learn" and it would be a waste of resources for the school to invest time and energy in his education. The school suggested that his parents get Albert an easy, manual labor job as soon as they could. His mother did not think that Albert was "stupid". Instead of following the school's advice, Albert's parents bought him a violin. Albert became good at the violin. Music was the key that helped Albert Einstein become one of the smartest men who has ever lived. Einstein himself says that the reason he was so smart is because he played the violin. He loved the music of Mozart and Bach the most. A friend of Einstein, G.J. Withrow, said that the way Einstein figured out his problems and equations was by improvising on the violin.

[nhockaday]

How interesting. I never heard that about Einstein.

[patreiche]

I played Mozart chamber music for Colin quite frequently when he was younger now he listens to more children songs. I know he loves music and he seems to have an excellent memory. The emotion that he exhibit when he hears music that he knows is intoxicating.

He loves bubbles too. If bubbles help develop the brain, he will definitely be a genius!
After reading this thread, I think I will break out the Mozart violin music. I read somewhere about the calming nature to string music, which is what Colin listened to when he was a baby. He goes to music class at Gymboree where every two weeks he is introduced to various different kinds of music (African, classical , queen .. etc)

[patreiche]

Colin responds to music he knows and comes running. Anything he recognizes, (YBCR songs etc) he comes running. Do you think it is better to constantly be changing the music they hear or to play the same thing frequently to give them familiarity?

[KL]

Do you think it is better to constantly be changing the music they hear or to play the same thing frequently to give them familiarity?

Good question. Not sure about that, but I would play a variety (including nursery rhymes, pop, jazz, choral, broadway, etc.) with more emphasis on classical.  Most important is that the child enjoys it (eg., some music might be too weird or 'harsh' to hear).

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