Can music really enhance learning?

Introduction

Accessing music today has become much more readily available to the public than in the past when we were limited to CDs, tapes and even records. Today, thee are so many devices that play music digitally such as computers, mobile phones, or ipods all at the touch of a button!. The choice is endless- enabling you to choose music from a wide range of genres and occasions  to suit your mood and due to advances in music technology, the effect of music and learning has stimulated quite a lot of research in the last decade or so.

How do music and learning fit together

The ‘Mozart Effect’ is probably the most well known approach in this field and was discovered way back in 1993 by Californian scientists 

to test whether music - Mozart specifically had any effect on improving spatial reasoning skills. There were three groups of participants:-

Group 1

Listened to a Mozart sonata (K448) for 10 minutes before completing a spatial reasoning task

Group 2

Listened to relaxation instructions to lower blood pressure before the task

Group 3

Silence before the task

Results showed that listening to Mozart had a direct impact on spatial abilities compared to the other two conditions. - mean IQ scores were 8-9 points higher than in the other two groups. The authors claim that the music prior to the task stimulated the brain beforehand in readiness for the task whereas the other groups had no such stimulation. Subsequent studies have had mixed results with some producing small increases in spatial ability whilst others have found no difference.

Does the Mozart Effect really exist?

The findings have been criticised on the grounds that any positive results are due to ‘enjoyment arousal’ but this has been countered by experiments with rats and nice who were exposed to Mozart's piano sonata K448 and the minimalist music by Phillip Glass. The rats in the Mozart group completed a maze more quickly than the other group and this can not be put down to ‘enjoyment arousal’.

Is there something specific about the music of Mozart?

Techniques such as Positron Emission Topography (PET) scans enable scientists to compare those parts of the brain that are active when listening to music  and when doing spatial reasoning tasks; it appears that these regions overlap in the brain so listening to music prepares those regions for processing spatial reasoning tasks. But it isn't just any music - both JS Bach and JC Bach appear to create similar effects to Mozart and it may be due to the tempo, structure, melody and harmony of certain pieces of music from these composers.

What about the effect of music and learning with children?

In one study, pre-school children (aged 3-4 years) were given keyboard music lessons for 6 months and at the end performed simple melodies by Mozart and Beethoven. when they were asked  to do age appropriate spatial reasoning tasks they performed 30% better than children who had not had musical training. The effect seems to be limited to spatial reasoning only and has no effect on general IQ or spatial recognition.

Long term effects of music on the brain

A study by Holmes (2017) found that pupils participating in music lessons helped them to make greater progression in mathematics compared to a control group who did not participate in the music lessons. This study focused on young children between the ages of 4-6 and found skills involving spatial reasoning such as recognising 2D and 3D shapes, symmetry and shape attribution resulted in a higher level of attainment, although there was no difference in basic skills such as counting to 20, addition and subtraction. It is thought that music and rhythm are closely intertwined in the brain with spatial skills  and it is useful for parents to know of this link.- - piano lessons may help your child in this area.

Conclusion

A number of studies have shown  enhanced spatial reasoning skills after listening to Mozart's music for 10 minutes - but this effect has not been found with all research studies. PET scans have shown that similar regions of the brain are activated when listening to music and doing spatial reasoning tasks. More research is needed to fully understand this phenomenon and therefore practical applications at this stage are limited- but there does seem to be some positive influence. Music does bring pleasure and enjoyment  and whether you experience the ‘Mozart Effect’ or not - why not try it and see!

Rowena Hawtin MSc BSC PGCE

Private tutor My 121 Tutor