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

[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.