Essential questionS
Who is Mozart and what is the Mozart Effect?
Is the Mozart Effect real?
Is the Mozart Effect real?
Listening Examples
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wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Born in Salzburg, in the Holy Roman Empire, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, Mozart was a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position.
While visiting Vienna, Austria in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have been talked about very much.
He composed more than 600 works, many of which are acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music. He is considered among the greatest classical composers of all time, and his influence on Western music is profound. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote: "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years".
While visiting Vienna, Austria in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have been talked about very much.
He composed more than 600 works, many of which are acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music. He is considered among the greatest classical composers of all time, and his influence on Western music is profound. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote: "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years".
The Mozart Effect
![Picture](/uploads/3/7/9/7/37978045/mozart1_orig.png)
In the early 1990s, an experiment was done which seemed to show that listening to classical music could improve memory! This effect has come to be known as "The Mozart Effect" because the musical selection that seemed to improve memory was a song by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Many people read about this experiment in popular magazines and newspapers and thought that listening to classical music would be a good way to improve memory and increase intelligence. Let's look a bit closer at the original experiment and other experiments.
The original experiment was published in the science journal by scientists at the University of California at Irvine in 1993. These scientists had college students listen for 10 minutes to either: Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major, a relaxation tape OR silence.
Immediately after listening to these selections, students took a spatial reasoning test. The results showed that the students' scores improved after listening to the Mozart tape compared to either the relaxation tape or silence. Unfortunately, the researchers found that the effects of the music lasted only 10 to 15 minutes. Nevertheless, these researchers believed that memory was improved because music and spatial abilities shared the same pathways in the brain. Therefore, they thought, the music "warms up" the brain for the spatial reasoning test. Other laboratories have tried to use the music of Mozart to improve memory, but have failed.
For example, one group of scientists used a test where students had to listen to a list of numbers, and then repeat them backwards (this is called a backwards digit span test). Listening to Mozart before this test had NO EFFECT on the students. Apparently the Mozart Effect depends on what kind of test is used. Other researchers have said that the original work on the Mozart Effect was flawed because:
In another attempt to demonstrate the Mozart Effect, researchers went to great lengths to follow the exact procedures of previous studies. They reported that they were unable to show that listening to the music of Mozart had any effect on spatial-reasoning performance. They conclude by stating: "...there is little evidence to support basing intellectual intervention on the existence of the Mozart effect."
The researchers who were successful at finding the Mozart Effect have also looked at the effects of music lessons on spatial reasoning. They gave preschool children (ages 3-4 yr. old) training for 8 months. Children were divided into 4 groups:
Experimental Groups:
Keyboard lessons
Singing lessons
Computer lessons
No lessons
After 8 months of this treatment, the children were tested on their ability to put puzzles together and to recognize shapes. The results were fascinating! They found that only those children who received the keyboard lessons had improvement in the spatial-temporal test. Even when the children were tested one day after their last keyboard lesson, they still showed this improvement. So, the effects of the keyboard lesson lasted at least one day. Test scores on the spatial-recognition test did NOT improve in any of the groups, even the keyboard group.
In 2020, researchers pointed out that the results linking music training and better performance in school have been inconsistent. These researchers examined 54 experiments conducted with 7,000 children. The results of this analysis found that music training did not benefit cognitive skills or academic performance.
Some researchers have even tried to see if the Mozart Effect exists in monkeys! In these studies, monkeys listened to Mozart piano music for 15 minutes before they had to do a memory test. The researchers found that listening to Mozart music did NOT improve the monkeys' performance compared to when the monkeys listened to rhythms or white noise. They also found that listening to Mozart during the test impaired memory and white noise during the test improved memory slightly.
Politicians have even jumped on the Mozart Effect bandwagon. In 1998, the governor of Georgia started distributing free CDs with classical music to the parents of every newborn baby in his state. The only study that has shown the Mozart Effect was done with college students. There have been no studies that have looked at the effects of music on the intelligence of babies. Some people say that Governor Miller's plan was good, others think the money could be better spent on other projects.
So, if people want to improve their intelligence should they run out and buy some classical music? Should children start piano lessons when they are young? You are sure to get some beautiful music, but there is little conclusive evidence that it will improve your intelligence. Also, there is no evidence that music enhances memory permanently. More research and testing needs to be done to see if and how music and memory interact.
The original experiment was published in the science journal by scientists at the University of California at Irvine in 1993. These scientists had college students listen for 10 minutes to either: Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major, a relaxation tape OR silence.
Immediately after listening to these selections, students took a spatial reasoning test. The results showed that the students' scores improved after listening to the Mozart tape compared to either the relaxation tape or silence. Unfortunately, the researchers found that the effects of the music lasted only 10 to 15 minutes. Nevertheless, these researchers believed that memory was improved because music and spatial abilities shared the same pathways in the brain. Therefore, they thought, the music "warms up" the brain for the spatial reasoning test. Other laboratories have tried to use the music of Mozart to improve memory, but have failed.
For example, one group of scientists used a test where students had to listen to a list of numbers, and then repeat them backwards (this is called a backwards digit span test). Listening to Mozart before this test had NO EFFECT on the students. Apparently the Mozart Effect depends on what kind of test is used. Other researchers have said that the original work on the Mozart Effect was flawed because:
- only a few students were tested
- it was possible that listening to Mozart really did not improve memory. Rather, it was possible that the relaxation test and silence IMPAIRED memory.
In another attempt to demonstrate the Mozart Effect, researchers went to great lengths to follow the exact procedures of previous studies. They reported that they were unable to show that listening to the music of Mozart had any effect on spatial-reasoning performance. They conclude by stating: "...there is little evidence to support basing intellectual intervention on the existence of the Mozart effect."
The researchers who were successful at finding the Mozart Effect have also looked at the effects of music lessons on spatial reasoning. They gave preschool children (ages 3-4 yr. old) training for 8 months. Children were divided into 4 groups:
Experimental Groups:
Keyboard lessons
Singing lessons
Computer lessons
No lessons
After 8 months of this treatment, the children were tested on their ability to put puzzles together and to recognize shapes. The results were fascinating! They found that only those children who received the keyboard lessons had improvement in the spatial-temporal test. Even when the children were tested one day after their last keyboard lesson, they still showed this improvement. So, the effects of the keyboard lesson lasted at least one day. Test scores on the spatial-recognition test did NOT improve in any of the groups, even the keyboard group.
In 2020, researchers pointed out that the results linking music training and better performance in school have been inconsistent. These researchers examined 54 experiments conducted with 7,000 children. The results of this analysis found that music training did not benefit cognitive skills or academic performance.
Some researchers have even tried to see if the Mozart Effect exists in monkeys! In these studies, monkeys listened to Mozart piano music for 15 minutes before they had to do a memory test. The researchers found that listening to Mozart music did NOT improve the monkeys' performance compared to when the monkeys listened to rhythms or white noise. They also found that listening to Mozart during the test impaired memory and white noise during the test improved memory slightly.
Politicians have even jumped on the Mozart Effect bandwagon. In 1998, the governor of Georgia started distributing free CDs with classical music to the parents of every newborn baby in his state. The only study that has shown the Mozart Effect was done with college students. There have been no studies that have looked at the effects of music on the intelligence of babies. Some people say that Governor Miller's plan was good, others think the money could be better spent on other projects.
So, if people want to improve their intelligence should they run out and buy some classical music? Should children start piano lessons when they are young? You are sure to get some beautiful music, but there is little conclusive evidence that it will improve your intelligence. Also, there is no evidence that music enhances memory permanently. More research and testing needs to be done to see if and how music and memory interact.
It really does make you smarter!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What do you think about the Mozart Effect? Do you think it is real or fake? Why?
2) Regardless of if the Mozart Effect is real or not, there is some proof that listening to music makes you smarter. What does smarter in this sentence mean? What's the reason for music making people "smarter"? Do you feel that because you listen to music, you are smarter than your peers who don't? Do you think this can happen with any music or is it specific to just Mozart?
2) Regardless of if the Mozart Effect is real or not, there is some proof that listening to music makes you smarter. What does smarter in this sentence mean? What's the reason for music making people "smarter"? Do you feel that because you listen to music, you are smarter than your peers who don't? Do you think this can happen with any music or is it specific to just Mozart?
Healing Effects
Along with the Mozart Effect, there are beliefs that music can help heal various ailments of the mind, body and spirit. Colleges even offer courses such as Music in Heath and Wellness and certain colleges even offer degree programs in Music Therapy. One part of this is is a special type of chanting done by Tuvan Monks called throat singing. This type of chant has the performer singing low, open throat tones and by shaping the mouth and adjusting embouchure, you can actually get harmonics! This enables a singer to sing 2 pitches at the same time. Watch the videos below...
Be ready to discuss:
1) What did you think about this video? The high notes you hear are the guys voice and not the instrument he is playing!
2) What do you think is the importance of music in the life of the Tuvan monk? Is it similar to music in your own life? How or how is it not similar?
Be ready to discuss:
1) What did you think about this video? The high notes you hear are the guys voice and not the instrument he is playing!
2) What do you think is the importance of music in the life of the Tuvan monk? Is it similar to music in your own life? How or how is it not similar?
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