Did you know this about classical music?

Yesterday I was listening to a radio program while simultaneously trying to take a nap since the twins were sleeping down the hall. A certain segment woke me up. 

The host of this program was talking about classical music and how it helps us to relax to the beat of the music causing our mind to concentrate and focus easily. The music decreases blood pressure and enhances our ability to learn. 

I had heard this before, but what I didn't know is this: Mozart's music has a 60 beats per minute pattern, activating the right and left hemisphere of the brain. When this happens simultaneously, it maximizes learning and retention of information!

The music below is an example of this:
According to the segment I heard yesterday, listening to this while studying increases learning potential a minimum of FIVE TIMES


They did IQ tests on 3 groups of college students. Before the exam the first group listened to Mozart's Sonata, the 2nd group listened to your basic relaxation tape, and the 3rd group didn't listen to anything. The first group had the highest scores.  

And here's something else I didn't know....many pieces of classical music help kids do better in math because Music is Mathematical!  It's order, and it helps put our brains in a kind of order where math will make sense to us, and we can learn it and retain it.

Amazing.

So naturally I think of my 2 youngest sons, and how they are both math majors. They love classical music, and have listened to it for as long as I can remember. Maybe there is something to this theory.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't know about the benefits of just listening to music. I thought the benefits were from playing the music and that that exercised the brain to learn other things more easily. Very very interesting. Love, Dad and Susan

Scrapally said...

There is definitely something to this theory! I have always believed it. And I LOVE classical music. I do happen to really dislike math though. Guess I should have played my music during math homework!! lol.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! Brought tears to my eyes!
darlene

Ammy said...

When Hannah was a baby she listened and watched baby Einstein videos....maybe that's why shes so smart. And she still loves classical music.

Eileen said...

How interesting!

I have a lot of trouble with Math, and now I see my grandson struggling with it too. I'm going to try this to see if it helps Jayden.

Thank you!
Love and Prayers,
Eileen

Tyler Heasley said...

I listen to classical music every time I do my calculus homework, mainly because it de-stresses me and wakes me up at the same time.

Darlene said...

How fun for you to do a post on this! I have loved classical music all of my life. My dad started me on music lessons when I was five years old. I have played proffessionally for well over 50 years, being a member of Los Angeles Local 47 union. I have to tell you that the very first Concerto I played was by Mozart. I played it in a Salt Lake City State Fair. It was pretty exciting for me because I had never been to S.L. before. I was just 10 years old!

I have played with a violin group of six girls, and we traveled all over the western states and even had our own T.V. show called "Violin Echoes." I also played in many Symphony Orchestras.

I never had trouble studying and most often I listened to classical records. I also got very good grades. I wanted to be a doctor (and you're right, every doctor I know was always musically inclined.) and had a scholarship to Stanford, but got married a week after my 18th birthday!

I made the mistake of re-reading this and golly, I sound like a real braggart. I honestly didn't mean to sound that way, but just wanted to show, in my own life, how true this theory is. By the way, every single one of my musician friends was really intelligent, so this "theory" is truly a reality.

What a great and informative post, Jill.

Lisa said...

Love learning stuff like this! Thanks for sharing as lately I've wanting to create another iPod for Jasmine with just instrumentals. Maybe she'll talk someday, huh? Looks like you didn't get a nap with your intellect raising with the music numbers on! : )

PS: I love the book Talent Code! Just having trouble finishing it since I've got huge stores of good reads!

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