| Music has the ability to train our brain for higher level of | | | | The children were tested after eight months later. |
| thinking - the kind of thinking for problem solving, | | | | They were required to perform five tasks to test their |
| comparing and contrasting the similarities and | | | | spatial reasoning: |
| difference between objects, analyzing, reaching | | | | - arranging pieces of a puzzle to form a complete |
| conclusion, synthesizing, and evaluating information. | | | | picture |
| In recent research, it was found that music can help in | | | | - matching depicted pattern using flat, two-colored |
| developing human's spatial-temporal reasoning skill. | | | | blocks |
| Spatial-temporal reasoning is the ability to perceive the | | | | - placing correct color pegs into holes under a series |
| visual world accurately and form mental images of | | | | of pictured animals |
| objects. It is the mind ability to see in very detailed | | | | - performing a geometric design task |
| images and to recognize, compare and find | | | | - describing what was "wrong" or "silly" about a picture. |
| relationships among the patterns and details on an | | | | And here were results: |
| object. The temporal element involves a child's ability to | | | | The spatial-temporal reasoning of the children in the |
| think ahead. | | | | control group increase by only 6 percent. However |
| In learning music, one must be able to play a note, then | | | | children from the group which received music training |
| a series of notes, then a series of chords, and the able | | | | showed a great improved in their spatial-temporal |
| to look ahead at the music and determine where and | | | | reasoning by 46 percent! |
| what will be played next. | | | | Research and Finding 3: |
| Many studies and experiments have been conducted | | | | To confirm the results and finding in the above |
| to prove the power of the music on our brain. Below | | | | experiment, the scientists conducted another test. This |
| are the finding in some recent years research: | | | | time they took another group of seventy-eight |
| Research and Finding 1: | | | | preschoolers and divided into four groups: |
| In 1994, Drs Gordon Shaw and Frances Rauscher who | | | | - The first group consisted of thirty-four students who |
| are scientists at the University of California at Irvin, | | | | were given private daily piano lessons |
| conducted an experiment to find out the link between | | | | - The second group consisted of twenty students. The |
| spatial reasoning and music. They divided seventy-nice | | | | children in this group received ten minutes of private |
| college students into three groups. Each group was | | | | computer training every day. |
| given a cutting and folding task. | | | | - The third group had 12 students who received singing |
| The first group was given the opportunity to listen to | | | | training |
| ten minutes of Mozart's Sonata in D for Two pianos, | | | | - The last group were a control group where the |
| K. 488. The second group heard ten minutes of | | | | children did not attend any form of lesson. |
| minimalist (Philip Glass's Music with Changing Parts) and | | | | The children were tested after six months later and |
| rhythmically repetitive music (Ian Rich's C-Level | | | | the results were: |
| Productions mix of Mortal Stomp and Carry Me | | | | Children in the first group had the most dramatic |
| Through). The third was the control group where the | | | | improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning - an |
| students did not listen to any music piece. | | | | increased by 34 per cent in performance! |
| The result was - there was no significant occurrence | | | | Research and Finding 4: |
| with the second and third group. However the students | | | | In 1998, the scientists perform another experiment to |
| in the first group who had listened to the music of | | | | find out how a computer math game called |
| Mozart, experienced an increase in their spatial IQ of | | | | "Spatial-Temporal Animation Reasoning (STAR) |
| eight to nine points in just ten minutes! Although the | | | | coupled with either piano lessons or English-language |
| effect was temporary, the scientists believed that a | | | | training affected students performance in math. |
| particular organization of the elements in the music | | | | This experiment were conducted over 4 months |
| caused the improvement in the spatial-temporal | | | | period and the subjects were 170 second-graders |
| reasoning. This phenomenon is now commonly known | | | | from an elementary school in Los Angeles. |
| as the "Mozart Effect". | | | | The children were divided into 3 groups: |
| Research and Finding 2: | | | | - Group 1 consisted of children who studied the piano |
| After the above experiment which showed that by | | | | keyboard and the math video game |
| listening to music, it could caused an increase in | | | | - Group 2 consisted of children who received English |
| spatial-temporal reasoning, scientists began to | | | | language training and studied the math video game |
| wondered if the effect can be prolonged by studying a | | | | - Group 3 were the control group which did not |
| musical instrument. | | | | receive any training. |
| To find out the result, the scientists conducted a test | | | | After four months, a test were conducted and the |
| on thirty-three three-year-old pre-schoolers in Los | | | | results were: |
| Angeles. They choose three-year-old children because | | | | Children in Group 1 and 2 who received training in the |
| the cortexes of their brain were still maturing and any | | | | computer game showed a 100 percent improvement |
| effect from music education will be most observed as | | | | in their math skills as compared to the control group. |
| compared to a matured brain. | | | | Also, the students who received piano keyboard |
| The children were divided into two groups. The first | | | | training along with the math video game did 27 percent |
| group had 19 children who were provided with eight | | | | better on questions related to fractions and |
| months of keyboard and singing lesson. The remaining | | | | proportional math than those who received training in |
| 14 children belonged to the control group which did not | | | | English language and the math video game. And lastly, |
| receive any training. For the first group, their training | | | | the teachers of the group also reported that the |
| consisted of weekly ten to fifteen minute private | | | | children who studied piano key boarding demonstrated |
| keyboard lesson, daily practice periods and a daily | | | | better attention and concentration abilities! |
| thirty minute singing time. | | | | |