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Mendo Lake Family Life

The Mozart Effect

In 1993, researchers at the University of California at Irvine discovered that students performed significantly higher on IQ tests after having listened to Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major as compared to students who listened to relaxation music or silence, hence the name 'The Mozart Effect."

  • Since that discovery many follow-up studies have been conducted to further test the impact of music and the arts with startling implications.
  • Students with coursework and experience in music performance and appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on verbal and 41 points higher on math tests; students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math tests than students with no arts participation. -College-Bound Seniors National Report, 2001
  • Secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs). - Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. Reported in Houston Chronicle, January 1998
  • Music participants receive more academic honors and awards than non-music students. And the percentage of music participants receiving A's and B's is higher than the percentage of non-participants. - National Center for Education Statistics, 1990Music enhances multi-tasking skills.
  • The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing and feeling - training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. - John J. Ratey, MD. A User's Guide to the Brain. 2001.
  • Music encourages socialization, self-expression, communication and motor development. It also stimulates all of the senses and involves children simultaneously on multiple sensory levels. - Seattle ArtCorp website.
  • Because the brain processes music in both hemispheres, music can stimulate cognitive functioning and may be used for remediation of some speech/language skills. - American Music Therapy Association The Mozart Effect
  • Countless follow-up scientific studies, provide compelling evidence of the benefits of music on the intellectual and academic, success.

The surest way of positively enhancing the life of your little Mozart is to act right away.