Effect of Different Music Genres on the Mind

This article reveals how Don Campbell, the author of “The Mozart Effect,” believes that listening to music can

Not only does music affect thought, but it also benefits health. Students usually study in quiet, relaxed surroundings while listening to serene music. Classical music can steady a fast heartbeat and a slower heartbeat induces relaxation. Exercise plays a critical role in maintaining good health, and relaxing music can be favorable to this. Music reduces muscle tension, resulting in a better work out. Scientists performed controlled studies using adult males who were around twenty-five years old. Blood samples were taken before and after treadmill running. The experiment found that with the presence of music, “heart rate, blood pressure, and lactate secretion in the brain were significantly lower” . The results proved that music

It can be proven, through literary research and personal experiences, that music has a positive effect on learning and memory. It can be concluded that these positive effects have an impact on patients with Alzheimer’s, on the motor skills and auditory memory of mentally disabled children, on students attempting to remember subject manner that they are learning, and on the affectivity of advertisements. On a personal note, music has facilitated my ability to remember things, both positive and negative, a number of times. For example, in high school I memorized the days of the week in French by singing them along with a tune that was already familiar to me. I have also had multiple experiences in which I remember things that I do not want

The music of Mozart has been long praised. His classical sonatas and concertos continue to be recognized as some of the greatest works of music of all time. Since Mozart’s death, many have argued over the relationship between listening to Mozart and intelligence, with many arguing that classical music makes you smarter. Although many myths surrounding the topics of Mozart and intelligence exist, in this paper, I will be addressing the myth in the context that solely listening to the music of Mozart will improve cognitive performance before academic functions such as tests.

The Mozart Effect Resource Centre website, music educator Don Campbell made the claim that “classical music has a powerful effect on the intellectual and creative development of children from the very youngest of ages.” (Campbell, n.d.). To critically evaluate this claim a number of sources have been analysed. Through this analysis it was found that the claim cannot be supported by reliable empirical research and that classical music only produces short-term cognitive enhancement. This effect can be achieved by listening to any type of music. The first main theme found in the literature was that listening to classical music such as Mozart produced only short term increased cognitive abilities and did not aid the intellectual development of

(2001) explained that the “Mozart effect” is due to arousal and mood improvement. The arousal-mood hypothesis proposes that listening to music, affects people’s level of arousal and mood, which in turn influence performance on different cognitive tasks (Husain, Thompson, & Schellenberg, 2002).

The Mozart Effect interested parents because they believed it was simple way for them to increase their child’s IQ. Entrepreneurs were motivated by easy profits because of the book called “Mozart Effect” written by Don Campbell. There is very little merit that proves that listening to Mozarts’ music increases the IQ of children. Using the name Mozart Effect as a trademark in infomercials for his book, discs and cassettes was a way to get the news out to mainstream America. Mr. Campbell gained a lot of fame and fortune through speaking engagement, cd, tape sells and promotion by the media. The media created the illusion that listening to Mozart’s music will somehow increase spatial intelligence, concentration and memory and enhance right brain creativity activity. These were some of the promises that were used to promote the sale of Mozart Effect CDs.

Understanding the memory system and functionality of the brain is the first step in understanding how music can influence this mechanic. Research has mainly

Music affects the amplitude and frequency of brain waves. Music can create a highly focused learning state which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a great rate (Education.jhu 2016). Students who received music instruction had improved sound discrimination and fine motor tasks and brain imaging. When information is put into rhythm and rhyme, these musical elements provide a hook for recall and gives a better remembrance of data(Cerebremente 2016).

In 1993 Rauscher et al listened to Mozart's sonata for two pianos (10 minutes) and claimed that it significantly improved his reasoning skills more than listening to relaxation instructions that are designed to lower blood pressure. It is criticized that this is because of the “enjoyment arousal” connected with this particular music. Studies have shown that listening to music “activates a wide distribution of brain areas” because the rhythm, pitch, metre, melody, and timbre are processed in different areas of the brain.

Drooling with an object to its mouth, a small child sits in a corner, as a symphony of Requiem in D minor plays in the background. The babysitter jollily states to the child’s mother “Listening to Mozart can make you smarter.” Many believers of this phenomenon of the “Mozart effect” has sparked controversial argument of whether its enhancing effects on the brain are true. A famous otolaryngologist and inventor, Alfred A. Tomatis, first coined the phrase the “Mozart effect” for its mysterious capability of physical healing and brain development. A research team in the University of California, Frances Raucher, Katherine Ky, and Gordon Shaw, experimented with the measurement of IQ levels after the variables were exposed to Mozart’s masterpieces.

The mind is greatly impacted by music by showing healthful changes (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Doctors now use music for their patients’ treatments in order to help them stay healthy (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Heart patients acquired the same benefits from listening to classical music for thirty minutes as they did from anti-anxiety medication (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Musical therapy has been used to help people with heart problems, which worked quite effectively. (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). People who have had migraines frequently, were trained to use music and relaxing procedures to reduce their headaches. Studies have also shown that music helps students with their intelligence levels (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). A majority of students had higher test scores than others because they listened to Mozart before their exam. People who listened to classical music for an hour and a half while revising manuscripts increased their accuracy by 21% (www.bellaonline.com/articles) (Mish 725.).

According to Frederic Patenaude, the author of over twenty books and someone who loves to relentlessly debunk myths wrote a great article. The article is called Boosting Brain Power with Classical and Baroque Music, which was posted on a dominate website in the health field. As the author puts it, “ Baroque music, such as that composed by Bach, Handel or Telemann, that is 50 to 80 beats per minute creates an atmosphere of focus that leads students into deep concentration in the alpha brain wave state. Learning vocabulary, facts or reading to music is highly effective.” (Patenaude). In other words, Patenaude believes that there are certain types of music that can essentially be used as tools to improve focus, which in return improves comprehension

The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals listen to the two piano sonata. The stated results are individuals that are able to remember information easier. There are two studies that were conducted in associated with the Mozart Effect. The first study was dedicated to spatial skill performance and its neural pathway relation to music. The other study was dedicated to challenging the first study due to the argument that any type of music that is appreciated can cause the same memory effect. The second study was based on an experiment with unborn mice that heard Mozart’s piano sonata K448. The other part of the study was related to the effects of Mozart’s piano sonata K448 on patients who were suffering from epilepsy. The overall conclusion is that Mozart’s piano sonata K448 has positive effects on both animals and humans.

Mozart Effect is a term created for studies that are believed by many that simply listening to