Take that, Baby Einstein

[velvetpage]

There's no evidence that playing Mozart to a newborn makes them smarter.

I play classical music around my house because i like it. I sing songs and play games with my children because we all enjoy it. It's the interaction, the use of high-level linguistic and cognitive skills, and the physical activity, that develop their brains. The best way to encourage a child's intellectual development is to play with them, talk to them, sing to them, and engage them in activities that you both enjoy. If you're doing that, it won't matter if the music is Mozart or Metallica - it will still benefit them.

Thanks sassy_fae for the link.

Comments

[gracevlikevrain.livejournal.com]

I saw that coming. =) The first time I saw a Baby Einstein video with all the pictures and music I had a really hard time believing that it was going to stimulate my child to genius (it would overstimulate them, if anything.) After all, Mozart and Einstein did alright without over-marketed baby toys.

One thing I have noticed...if you expose kids to music from a young age, then they seem to become familiar with it as they grow and some of them pick up on it faster when they try to learn about music. (That's kind of a duh, though.:) Like a few months ago we were in the car and Amy recognized "Piano!" during one of the songs on the radio, and she's been able to hum a tune for awhile. I don't think playing classical music will raise my kid's SAT scores, but they might have an easier time picking up an instrument or learning to read music. So I guess I'm trying to say that there are advantages to exposing babies and toddlers to Mozart and Beethoven ...but it's just in other areas than developing a generation of super-geniuses.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

There is evidence to suggest that studying music, especially harmonically complex music, raises kids' spatial and mathematical intelligences. Also that early exposure does indeed increase a child's ability to learn music, in particular rhythm and pitch. But for newborns? Yeah, right.

: )

[brightflashes.livejournal.com]

I was pretty sure that whole Motzart thing wasn't true a long time ago when I was playing Motzart on the piano. I know that I really stray from the norm in saying so, but I find Motzart boring and simple. Chopin, Gershwin. Now there's some awesomeness.

Re: : )

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Tchaikovosky. I'm all about the Tchaikovosky.

I've never cared for Mozart myself. I like the Romantics better than the Classical composers. They allowed themselves to stray from established forms, and their creativity shone through much better. There are a few exceptions - I like a few of Mozart's concertos - but not that many.

[lovmelovmycats.livejournal.com]

I never expected Baby Einstein to make Lizzie smarter, but I love it, because that Music Box Orchestra is magic for making peaceful car trips. :) It's entertainment, nothing more.
Speaking of music learning, though, I really want to get a piano (especially since you wrote about Claire and the high chair/piano banging).

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

A piano is a good investment. Make sure you find a teacher who is experienced with little kids, or wait until she's six or seven to start her on lessons, though. It's very easy to overload a kid with a practice regimen designed for more serious students.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

yeah, we've talked about that in psych classes. listening to classical music right before an IQ test makes you perform better. Like..immediately before. that's the only link that's been shown for real.

I wonder if other types of music would do the same.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

The types of music that have the most effect are the ones with a very clear melodic and rhythmic structure, and those with the most structured formats. Because of that, any classical composer (i.e. eighteenth century) would probably have the same effect, because they were all following the same formal structures that were considered the pinnacle of artistic expression. Other instrumental, but still orchestral music (like the Romantics, Beethoven, Tchaikovosky, Chopin) would have a similar effect but perhaps not as pronounced. I have no idea how far the effect would extend - presumably any music that aroused one's spatial awareness would have a similar effect.

[neebs.livejournal.com]

My sister actually did an experiement for her psych class and found that if you listen to music you KNOW and enjoy while doing a simple memorization test, it can improve your score more than classical.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Which makes me wonder: if you enjoy classical music, do you get more benefit out of classical than out of other types of music that you enjoy, or is the enjoyment the deciding factor?

[neebs.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, good question. I have no idea what the answer might be! I always wondered if classical was supposed to be best because there are no words to interrupt your using words to study.

[etherlad.livejournal.com]

Some classical arias have words. Conversely, some modern stuff I really enjoy (like some Delerium and Jam & Spoon) does not.

sassy_fae just pointed out to me that the arias are still likely to be in a foreign tongue, so there's less pressure to listen to what they're saying.

We could go back and forth on this for hours. (:

[neebs.livejournal.com]

I should probably admit that I pretty much LOATHE classical music and so have only ever in my life probably heard 10 pieces, none of which have words. I defer to you on this one. =)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

What do you loathe about it? And what have you heard of it? (I'm not trying to grill you, btw. I just want to know because I can't imagine my life without classical music. Many of the people I've known who have started out with an aversion to classical music have actually come to enjoy some of it, once they realized that Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was not the be-all and end-all of it.)

Would you be open to a few suggestions of routes to take to learn about it?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I think that's part of it - the value of white noise. But I don't think using music as white noise would have the same benefit, because it's the act of listening and applying spatial awareness to it that brings the benefit.

In any case, i can't use music as white noise. I listen actively to practically everything. I can have music on and do something mentally challenging, but when I do that, I'm blocking out the music and everything else, so there's no point in having it on. I only listen to music when I can give a good chunk of my attention to it without losing anything from my other tasks.

[failstoexist.livejournal.com]

i listen to music i like while studying...music i have known for a while and have memorized. that way when I take the test, I can hum to myself/run the song through my head and think about what i was reading when i listened to it.

simply memory trick, i find it totally worth it. Sometimes i use classical though...pachelbels cannon is my "study music" at times...it only works because I know it well, though.

[neebs.livejournal.com]

I did this in college for generic memorization stuff, too. Now that I have to to more analyzing and interpreting, I have to have quiet.

I think I'm getting old... =(

[blue-comet.livejournal.com]

I'm avoiding the Baby Einstein stuff for Holden. I think it's really intended to make kids into tv addicts at an early age.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Well, it is, after all, produced by Disney.

[blue-comet.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I'm really avoiding the Disney while he's small. When he's bigger I won't be such a stickler about it, but I just don't think it's healthy for him to develop attachments to Disney characters as an infant.

I have a friend with an autistic child (she's 13 now) who is OBSESSED with the Disney Princesses. The sheer intensity of her obsession, and the amount of money they spend on crap to fulfill her obsession, horrifies me on so many levels.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I didn't start it - I can blame my brother for that - but Elizabeth is quite into Disney. I suppose I can't blame a single guy too much for feeling that the best place to shop for little girls is the Disney Store, and I think I can counter any negative messages she gets that way over time. Really, though, I prefer the Barbie movies. They still have princesses, but the princesses save themselves from the bad guys, get married to the commoners of their dreams, and still manage to fulfil their dreams of studying science. I can live with that.