Music is a big part of my life, and I’m sure this is the case for the majority of college students as well. I’m constantly listening to music, whether I’m walking to class, relaxing in my room, or working out at the gym. I love listening to all types of music, and I’m constantly on the hunt for new songs or albums to listen to. I’ll listen to any kind of music, and I love when I learn about new songs from my friends. Listening to music automatically helps me feel better. I’m fascinated by the effects that music has on the human brain. Time and time again, people have wondered: Does music make you smarter?

Scientists have been researching the effects of music on the brain for a long time. I’m interested in the discoveries they’ve made, because maybe all of the music I’ve been listening to will help me out in the long run. Before I even discuss what science has to say on the matter, I absolutely think that music can help make people smarter. I think music can help me to focus, and it helps to relieve stress. Overall, listening to music helps me become more relaxed and less tense.

Many professionals tend to agree with me. One study, which I learned about here, suggested that early exposure to music can lead to children having higher IQ scores and reading levels. I can definitely attest to this. When I was about eight years old, my mom enrolled me in music classes at my school. A few times a week, I would meet with my class, and we would play musical instruments and listen to different songs. It was during this same time that I was given a standardized reading test, because my mom feared that my reading level was not up to par with that of my peers. On this reading test, I got the same score that an average seventh grader would receive. Now this could be due to the fact that I was absolutely obsessed with reading the Harry Potter series around the same time, but it also could have had something to do with music.

music girl

Now, some people think that it’s the listening to and performing of music that can make you smarter, but others believe something else. According to this article, it’s the studying of music that actually increases brain functionality. The term ‘musical aptitude’ refers to one’s ability to learn music. It is very clear that not everyone has the same abilities when it comes to learning music. However, it has not been determined whether musical aptitude is something people are born with, or if it is something that is learned at an early age. I, for one, know that I am very musically inept. My music career started and ended with those music lessons I took when I was eight. This leads me to believe that musical aptitude is something that is learned throughout one’s lifetime. Some people have a knack for music, while others simply do not.

I know that I certainly won’t be the next Mozart, and I’m okay with that. However, I strongly believe that listening/performing music can help cognitive functions. From what I’ve gathered, nobody has found any negative impacts of music, only positive ones. Now, I know that listening to music won’t suddenly boost my GPA to a 4.0, but I do think that only good things can come from listening to music.

2 thoughts on “All Music is Good Music

  1. Marielle Concetta Ravally

    I was really interested in your article. Music has always been a huge part of my life. I started taking piano lessons when I was in 1st grade and continued for the next 6 years. I have also taken saxophone, trombone, and voice lessons. I was also involved in my high school’s choir and played in my high school band’s percussion section my senior year. I definitely think that being involved has helped me to become a more cultured person. When learning music, you are exposed to not only composers, but different cultures and periods of history. You learn not only when the music was written but what influenced certain parts of a piece. In addition analyzing and interpreting a piece of music definitely develops one’s critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills. Personally I feel that playing music has also helped me to focus more effectively. When playing in a band, you are forced to follow along with the piece as a whole so you do not miss your part, so you must be alert at all times. Though there could be confounding variables, from my own personal experience I am confident when I say that playing a instrument has many intellectual benefits.

  2. Anna Pearl Belinda

    First off, I would like to give a shout out to you for reading the Harry Potter series- I am still a big fan. I write songs and sing and play the piano so music has still stuck with me. I’m not very good at learning it- I’m better at just making stuff up and performing it. Which makes me wonder if it’s JUST learning how to read music or if the creativity side can be beneficial as well. I remember watching the incredibles (the movie) and there’s this one part where the baby sitter is telling Mrs. Incredible how listening to Mozart when you’re a baby can help the baby be smarter when they’re older. There are just too many confounding variables that could play a role in being a smart human being. You could have a very supportive family that encourages education, or simply be a smarter person….this just brought up a really great question. Are some people born smarter, or more intelligent than others?

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