Comments on: Proof: Learning Music Makes Children Smarter!

By: Ty Burtin

Ty Burtin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:33:18 +0000

Investigate Sharon Burch and her series of Freddie the Frog books. She has stuff at http://www.sharonburch.com and at http://www.freddiethefrogbooks.com. Rumor has it a jazz book is coming out next. Her comments, experience and research indicate the same. It isn’t just listening but you must be learning music.

I’m no scientist but my wife required our two children to take music lessons from an early age until they started driving. They were both in the top 5% of their class. Based on our IQ they didn’t come by it genetically. In addition we live in a very poor area with an average at best school. My daughter even made it into an ivy school.

Funny how most the kids in band are also on the honor roll and a lot of them say the only reason they are there is becasue their parents make them.

Study or not, why not copy what seems to be working?

By: Mickey Carroll

Mickey Carroll — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:56:33 +0000

Hello My name is Mickey Carroll and I was inspired to write a song entitled A Portrait Of A Teachers Life

I just want to share my thoughts with a song regarding the Career I admire most . This song has jazz legion Ira Sullivan on trumpet and famed jazz bass player Jeff Carswell .

Mickey on Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/mickeycarroll

Thank you all for what you do
Mickey

Mickey Carroll Mother J Productions
http://www.mickeycarroll.com

By: Valentino L. Vazquez

Valentino L. Vazquez — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:32:58 +0000

I have created in conjunction with the “Jazz Workshop Inc.”(Pgh. PA) and “The Duquesne University Music School” a program called Jazz for Tots. The observations I have made and their implications are profound. Adult-like responses to music are surely visible even in those students that are a mere two years old!

By: Justification to Bring Back the Music: It Increases IQ Scores « iThinkEducation.net!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:13:57 +0000

[...] linked to a UK study by Janice on the Music Teacher’s Blog that had the following findings from Professor Susan Halem, University of London’s [...]

By: Kids Music

Kids Music — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:52:15 +0000

Your blog is like an encyclopedia for those who want to know more about this. Thanks for the interesting information.

By: Jennifer Henry

Jennifer Henry — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:15:41 +0000

I’m finding that Phil’s comments on how we interpret and use research resonate with me. Sadly, if the integrity of research protocol is not maintained, anyone can make almost any study show his or her desired result. It would be marvelous to have a very comprehensive and tight study done with highly stratified test and control groups. Research on the impact of any fine arts instruction upon a person’s measure of intelligence has to be very difficult to accomplish with valid, reliable results since the arts are so subjective to each person’s experience to begin with.
I will freely admit, however, that I would gladly welcome and such research to help promote funding for music education and participation in programs.

By: Music – making us smarter? | Phil Kirkman

Music – making us smarter? | Phil Kirkman — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:39:10 +0000

[...] came across a very interesting post at The Music Teacher’s Blog today and added a commentÂ so I thought I’d share it here as well. I enjoy reading the Music [...]

By: Phil Kirkman

Phil Kirkman — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:13:40 +0000

I’d like to clear a few things up here. Firstly, Hallam (2006 p.182) states that the evidence from studies is mixed and NOT conclusive. Secondly, it was Schellenberg (2004) who reports larger increase in intelligence for those students who received musical instruction.

In fact when looked at closely Schellenberg’s findings are far from conclusive. The study was carried out on Canadian student who’s 6th birthday fell between Jan and October. Generalization beyond this demographic is risky at best. The increase in IQ (whatever that really tells us about students anyway) can also be linked to wealth, age or dropout rate. For example, The music group taking keyboard lessons demonstrated an improvement of 6.1 compared to the 5.1 receiving drama lessons. BUT they were on average (mean) $7500 more wealthy. Also, those receiving no lessons showed an increase in IQ of only 3.9. However, they were a further $5000 less wealthy on average (mean). While the vocal were of comparable wealth to the drama group they were 102 days over 6 years compared with only 75 in the drama group. In other words the drama group were nearly a month younger. Finally, Schellenberg reports that the keyboard group experienced 16% dropout, the vocal group 11% and the drama group only 5%. Out of classes of 36 this might be significant. I will illustrate. If the 6 who dropped out of the keyboard group were at the lower end of the group for IQ score (Standard deviation for final test was 12.5) then calculating these into the final mean increase gives a figure of 106.6 rather than the 108.7 reported. This is less of an increase than for those who received drama instruction.

I say all this to make an important point…We need to be VERY careful about using research to make the case for something we think is a good idea. I think music ed is a GREAT idea (as I am a music teacher and researcher). However, I get rather exasperated with what seems to be a pressure to justify it in terms of what it does in other subjects or to our IQ (again…whatever that is other than a test of how well you do on an IQ test). Is there not a value inherent in studying music for its own sake?

By: Brandt Schneider

Brandt Schneider — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:50 +0000

I would be curious about the time needed to spend in music class. Is 40 minutes a week enough for this effect? 40 minutes per day? Music integrated throughout the day?

By: Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:08:22 +0000

This is definitely worth blogging about (will be on my blog tomorrow.) In our effort to boost test scores and canceling music and drama – perhaps we have lowered the very scores we sought to improve! What a shame. Music is not just something that is nice to have – it is a connection to the very soul of who we are as human beings.