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Research Report Music Lessons Enhance IQ
E. Glenn Schellenberg11University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada1University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, CanadaThe idea that music makes you smarter has received considerable attention from scholars and the media. The present report is the first to test this hypothesis directly with random assignment of a large sample of children (N=144) to two different types of music lessons (keyboard or voice). IQ was measured before and after the lessons. Compared with children in the control groups, children in the music groups exhibited greater increases in full-scale IQ.
By Sharon MacDonald
There has not been much research about how songs, chants, and lullabies influence learning. But there are, however, valid conclusions and extensions we can make from what we do know about music and song. Songs carry information. History invites us, for instance, to remember that for thousands of years, people have sung for enjoyment and to ease the burdens of work. Songs have conveyed important information about work, family, and society. This has been true for all cultures around the world.
Songs, poems, chants, and rhymes, for example, made it possible for workmen in the Middle Ages to organize and build great cathedrals. They could not have learned through reading and writing, since few men mastered either skill. Recent research on the effects of music on the brain reveals that the brain loves music and that information traveling on musical notes is learned more quickly, and better retained for speedy, accurate retrieval. The research certainly corroborates my 28 years of teaching. There are many reasons for children to sing!
About Sharon MacDonald
Sharon MacDonald has been training teachers for over 19 years on a variety of early childhood topics. Her training is based on her unique perspective from 28 years as an early-childhood teacher. Her practical ideas, down-to-earth approaches and her enthusiastic presentation style will energize and delight you. You will be able to implement many of her creative ideas in your classroom right away.
Two of Sharon's books, Squish, Sort, Paint, and Build and Everyday Discoveries have received coveted highly recommended reviews from the Parent Council, Ltd. Two others, Idea Bags and Block Play have received Directors' Choice Awards from Early Childhood News. More of Sharon's Professional Resources are also available. Sharon is a frequent keynote and featured speaker at national and state early-childhood conferences. To have Sharon conduct a professional workshop at your school, please visit Sharon MacDonald's Website. |
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