I was watching the VMA’s rerun while trying to think of a topic for my next SC200 blog when the perfect idea came to me; relation between music and academics. While brainstorming I couldn’t help but associate intelligent people with knowing how to play an instrument. I thought it was stereotypical at first to think that the smartest kids play the piano, but after doing some research I realized that there is some truth to it.

It’s not specifically the piano that makes individuals smarter; it is the exercising of a different side of your brain. Musicians are often forced to do more than one thing at a time-one might say that everybody multi-tasks, but not quite the way that they do. One of Vanderbilt University’s Psychologists say in an article by News Staff that instrumental musicians often have to switch melodic lines with both hands while playing a piece of music. Musicians also have to be able to quickly interpret musical symbols and keep rhythm. This intensive multi-tasking can be described as divergent thinking or thinking “outside the box”. Musicians are constantly using the left side of their brain, so when put in problem solving situations; they tend to find resolutions quicker than most non-musicians. Divergent thinking and intense creativity often times causes musicians to have a higher IQ.

This isn’t the only proven evidence on the matter. Psychology professor, Glenn E. Schellenburg, from University of Toronto, did a study on “Long term positive associations between music lessos and IQ Schellenburg studied children and he compared kids with formal musical lessons to kids simply listening to music. What’s different from the analysis above is that both subjects are exposed to music, and even then there was no positive correlation between simple musical involvement and IQ. The study showed that formal musical lessons have a positive correlation with IQ and academic performance; these qualities are general and long lasting.

In conclusion, yes, musicians are technically more likely to have a higher IQ than non-musicians. That is not to say that non-musicians are dumb and all musicians are brilliant- there is still chance. Although, if you did your own private test with, lets say, your class and you were able to figure out their IQ scores- the results may be similar to the ones I showed you above. The reason for that is simply because musicians have to exercise a part of their brain on the daily basis, that non-musicians do not (unless the non-musician is a part of some other mind stimulating group, or may even just be left-handed). Basically, musicians think differently than non-musicians; causing them to have higher IQ’s. I wonder if my IQ is really high since I played the flute in the middle school…probably not.