Neurological And Developmental Effects Of Music On Children

Scientific research on the neurological and developmental effects of music with the possibility of children's learning enhancement and motivation has fascinated educators and parents alike. Music has been used with children in many ways; from soft music in the nursery to musical toys and dance lessons. Integrating music in a fun way into lessons strengthens children's educational, physical, and emotional development.

In this paper, the notion that music plays a vital role in the efficiency of learning and motivation in children will be investigated. It is hypothesized that children are motivated and learn best when music is integrated in a lesson. This literature review seeks to demonstrate and support the hypothesis. The literature review

For example, “while learning about the flow of electrons in electricity, I play Ray Lynch's Celestial Soda Pop while we create a classroom flow of electricity. Some students are stationary neutrons and protons while others are moving electrons. When we add "free electrons" like a battery would, the electrons begin flowing and voila! We have an electrical current! Ray Lynchs' upbeat music keeps us moving and makes the learning more fun.

“Background music is used to stimulate internal processing, to facilitate creativity, and encourage personal reflection. Playing reflective music, such as solo piano in either classical or contemporary styles, as students are writing or journaling holds attention for longer periods of time than without the music. In one study, students wrote twice as much with music than without!” said Griffin (2006). Researchers have also found that listening to words as they are sung improves ability to distinguish linguistic patterns, suggesting that music can facilitate language learning and encourage the development of auditory discrimination. Similar areas of the brain are activated when listening to or playing music and speaking or processing language according to Bolton (2008). Additionally, music training can help individuals perceive emotions in speech which may increase their ability to interpret human behavior” stated Schellenberg, E. G.

This has come to be known as “The Mozart Effect.” Experiments carried out by scientists at the University of California at Irvine found that students’ test scores improved after listening to a recording of Mozart, compared with either a relaxation tape or silence. This may be because the processing of music shares some of the same pathways in the brain as memory. “The Mozart effect now generally refers to the use of music to improve memory, awareness, and the integration of learning styles” Schellenberg, & Hallam,