As a parent, musician and one who has been in the education industry for more than two decades, I realize the importance and place of music in the development of one's intelligence. While my sons and I can each play three instruments, my husband can only play one instrument. My boys, however, are better than me because they have perfect pitch while I only have a good ear. The difference in the ability is largely due to the stimulation that both of them received from the time they were in my womb and other environmental factors as well!!! I used to play classical music and put the headphones of my walkman/discman on my tummy when I was expecting my first boy. While carrying my younger boy, I was in the church band playing the keyboard for services and attending band practices till one month before I delivered. My older boy started his music lessons at the age of 4 while my younger boy started at the age of 3.
Have read volumes of articles from various journals and magazines about the functions and benefits of learning how to play a musical instrument and how that activity can actually stimulate the brain cells, help in coordination and even develop one's intelligence, I have always placed an emphasis on my boys' music education and now, I can see that investment paying dividends as both are musically gifted. So for those of you who have young children, perhaps the following article might convince you to let your kids learn music to enrich their lives and to develop multiple intelligence.
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THE MUSICAL SIDE OF ACCELERATED LEARNING by Peter Julian, MA
You may already know from earlier articles that 'accelerated learning' means finding ways to optimize the activity of the mind to enhance the learning experience. A proven method of doing so is to incorporate music in the accelerated learning curriculum.
Some types of music may not aid the learning process, and could even be detrimental. Music which contains a prescribed number of beats per minute, however, has been shown to accelerate the learning process. This is because that kind of music actually 'entrains' brainwave activity to open the mind to learning.
When we discuss brainwave activity, we're talking about the frequencies emitted by the neo-cortex (learning center) as having the greatest effect on learning acceleration.
One of the pioneers of accelerated learning, Dr. Georgi Lozanov, determined through his research that music played at 60 beats per minute resulted in the type of brainwave activity needed for learning. Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K 448, for example, is written in this meter.
Dr. Alfred Tomatis, in his 1991 essay, "Pourquoi Mozart?", coined the term "Mozart Effect" when he shared his research conclusion that Baroque music, particularly Mozart's, was written in the perfect meter to stimulate the brainwave activity necessary to accelerate learning.
Additionally, though controversial, research by the University of California, Irvine, also concluded that specific pieces of music composed by Mozart, when played in a controlled learning environment, could enhance the student's ability to absorb new information quickly, and even raise certain IQ test results temporarily.
A phrase that cropped up during the expansion of this field of research is "accessing the genius mind", or putting the mind into the best state for unfettered learning, in part by using music.
An intriguing offshoot of this field is the work of Dr. John Diamond of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Diamond's work with subjects whose hearing he artificially restricted proved what many scientists in this field believe, that even the hearing impaired can benefit educationally from the introduction of music of varied patterns into accelerated learning curriculum.
One final giant in the field of music and accelerated learning must be included in our discussion. The late Dr. John-David created three brilliant works which include music to entrain the brain waves of the listener. Those works-Environmental Learning, Brain-Mind Expansion Intensive and Eliminating Self Sabotage, can be investigated further at the BrainSpeak.com.
The inclusion of music, whether to create the best environment for learning, or to entrain the very activity of the brain, is an essential part of your best accelerated learning program.
Author's Bio
Peter Julian is the CEO of the Whole Brain Learning Institute and the Official Accelerated Learning Guide at SelfGrowth.com. Let us help you and your learning goals find Accelerated Learning Programs and Accelerated Learning Techniques that are perfect for you and your learning goals!
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