Posted by Scott on March 03, 2003 at 10:49:08:
In Reply to: Re: new thread - old topic ( NOT BBb vs. CC) posted by What's the problem? on March 03, 2003 at 09:02:33:
I'm sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but the "Mozart Effect" (or "music makes you smarter") was proven wrong. The maximum length of time that the children who had listened to the Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major were said to perform better on the spatial-temporal reasoning tests was 30 seconds. That's right, 30 seconds of better test results. After that, they were essentially the same as the children who did not listen to the Mozart. Some researchers concluded that the "Effect" may have been brought on by relaxation or added focus, not the music itself. Despite this fact, many still argue the value of music because of the "Mozart Effect" to this day and the public stands behind it without all of the information.
I am a teacher in a school that implements a program from the M.I.N.D. Institute that is based largely on this principal. In fact, the program even utilizes the same Sonata (k.448) in it's curriculum.
I understand that this was not entirely the point brought on by What's the problem?, but I felt too many posts were alluding to this study without all of the facts.
Music may make you smarter, but only in music. To a certain point, it may be a conduit for learning concepts in other subjects. Some students may better grasp some spatial-temporal or other math-based concepts when the student is able to relate them to a firm foundation in music, but this is rare and is not an accurate reflection of one being made smarter or more intelligent because of music. Generally, the students who accomplish this are already intelligent.