Mozart Effect
There is no question that Mozart was a genius as his gift for music surpasses anything that anyone else has ever done. He was able to learn to play the piano at the age of three and was writing his own work by the time he was four. Most parents can only dream of having a child that intelligent. The concept known as the Mozart effect has been around for a very long time. This is the theory that exposing children to his music will cause them to be extraordinarily intelligent as well.
Early doctors have also been documented as having patients with mental disorders listen to Mozart’s music. It was believed it would help them to develop the skills they needed to overcome their illnesses. Some early reports suggested that children in a learning environment could increase their IQ by listening to classical music. It wasn’t long after this that parents and schools were buying Mozart to expose their children to.
Some say this is all just wishful thinking, but there is significant research to indicate that listening to music can sooth the body and the mind. Is this the link that can help a person to relax enough to focus on what is taking place? It is believed that listening to Mozart can help a person to develop better listening skills. This is due to the varied pitches that occur throughout the music.
Testing that directly exposes children to Mozart music and then tests them indicates that they do experience a temporary increase in their skills. This is believed to be due to the environment changing. Since there is a calming type of stimulus taking place they are able to relax. This allows them to focus more on the task at hand.
It is also believed that exposing children to Mozart can help them develop more patience and the ability to sit for longer periods of time. For these reasons may schools have implemented programs to expose the children to about 15 minutes of Mozart each day. Yet the overall effects of Mozart are still debated. Some people really want to believe in it but some of the research out there indicates there aren’t any verifiable benefits.