Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Next Mozart? 6-Year Old Piano Prodigy Wows All
6-year old Emily Bear has wowed audiences from the White House to her own house. Playing the piano since age 3, Emily also composes her own music. Has WGN-TV discovered the next Mozart?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Music Improves Reasoning in Preschool children
The hypothesis that music training significantly and specifically enhances spatial-temporal reasoning in young children has recently found strong support. Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb (Neurological Research, 1996, in press) studied 78 children (3-4 years old) divided into three groups.
Thirty four children received private piano keyboard lessons, 20 received equally frequent private computer lessons and 24 served as other controls, receiving either singing lessons (n=10)or no special lessons (n=14) for six months.
Four standard, age calibrated, spatial reasoning tests were given before and after training; one test measured spatial-temporal reasoning and three tests assessed spatial recognition.
Post-treatment test scores showed a significant improvement on the spatial-temporal test only for the keyboard group. No group improved significantly on the spatial recognition tests. That the computer group showed no effect provides a control for extra attention, involvement, etc.
The authors suggest that the improvement in spatial reasoning may be related to the linear spatial layout of the keyboard. They propose that keyboard training may enhance the learning of standard subjects, such as mathematics and science,
in which spatial-temporal reasoning is particularly important.
Source:
Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb
(Neurological Research, 1996, in press)
Thirty four children received private piano keyboard lessons, 20 received equally frequent private computer lessons and 24 served as other controls, receiving either singing lessons (n=10)or no special lessons (n=14) for six months.
Four standard, age calibrated, spatial reasoning tests were given before and after training; one test measured spatial-temporal reasoning and three tests assessed spatial recognition.
Post-treatment test scores showed a significant improvement on the spatial-temporal test only for the keyboard group. No group improved significantly on the spatial recognition tests. That the computer group showed no effect provides a control for extra attention, involvement, etc.
The authors suggest that the improvement in spatial reasoning may be related to the linear spatial layout of the keyboard. They propose that keyboard training may enhance the learning of standard subjects, such as mathematics and science,
in which spatial-temporal reasoning is particularly important.
Source:
Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Wright, Dennis and Newcomb
(Neurological Research, 1996, in press)
Did You Know That Playing Music Helps Under-Achievers?
Music training helps under-achievers. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became “test arts” groups, receiving ongoing musicand visual arts training.
In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months,the students were given a standardized test. The “test arts” group had caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22%.
In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.
Source:
Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998
In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months,the students were given a standardized test. The “test arts” group had caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22%.
In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.
Source:
Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998
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