Is the Mozart Effect real?

As former student of Don Campbell who coined the phrase "The Mozart Effect" I often am put in the position of defending "The Mozart Effect." I have discovered that "Wikipdia" often has really good information on a wide variety of topics, so with that in mind, I offer you this:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mozart effect refers to disputed scientific studies that test a theory suggesting that classical music increases brain activity more positively than other kinds of music,[1] and that listening to certain kinds of complex music may induce a short-lived (fifteen minute) improvement in the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as "spatio-temporal reasoning".[2] [3] Two pieces of Mozart's music; Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448) and Piano Concerto No. 23 (K. 488), were found to have this effect. Later research also suggested that K. 448 can reduce the number of seizures in people with epilepsy.[4]

Mozart in the news!

There is no question that music lessons for young children give them an undeniable advantage over peers who have not studied an instrument and the basics of music making, but do you know how much research has been done that bears this out? The article excerpted below is from London's "The Telegraph" from September 9th of 2006. Enjoy!

Researchers claim to have found the first evidence of musical training being linked to greater attention skills.

After a year, musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, mathematics and IQ, reports a Canadian team.
The researchers add that their results will be welcomed by teachers and parents who feel that music should be part of the pre-school and primary school curriculum.
The findings, which are backed by brain scans, are published today in the journal Brain by McMaster University's Institute for Music and the Mind in Hamilton, Ontario, and the Rotman Research Institute of the University of Toronto.
"While the greater improvement that we found in musical tasks is not surprising after one year of music lessons, greater improvement on a non-musical memory task in children taking music lessons is very interesting," said Prof Laurel Trainor, of the McMaster Institute "Furthermore, our research shows that this occurs in children as young as four years of age."
Prof Trainor, who led the study with Takako Fujioka, compared 12 children aged four to six years over the course of a year: six of the children (five boys, one girl) had just started a Suzuki music school; the other six (four boys, two girls) had no music lessons outside school.
The researchers chose the Suzuki method to ensure the children were all trained in the same way, were not selected according to their initial musical talent, and had similar family support.

Can Mozart improve an eye exam?

Is it possible that listening to 10 minutes of Mozart's Sonata in D Major for two pianos, could improve the results of an eye check? Read a little bit of this article and decide for yourself:
Listening to Mozart helps patients perform more reliably in sight tests, a study has found.
The automated perimetry test checks the peripheral vision of patients with glaucoma or neurological conditions.

Brazilian researchers let 30 patients listen to 10 minutes of Mozart's sonata for two pianos, while another 30 prepared in silence.

The research, in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, found the music improved performance in the tests.
The "Mozart effect" has already been associated with improved mathematical skills, enhanced foetal brain development and improved learning among college students.
The team, from the Santa Casa of Sao Paulo, studied patients who had not taken the AP test before.
In the test, a white shape is projected onto a white background, and the person has to press a button when they can see the shape.
'Priming' the brain
The patients either listened to 10 minutes of music or sat in silence before their tests.
Both groups included a similar mix of men and women and ethnic groups.
The group who listened to music were able to focus better and perform more reliably in tests.
However, in this instance, the Mozart effect was only seen to last around 10 minutes.
Writing in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the researchers, led by Vanessa Macedo, said there was already evidence that the "Mozart effect" improved spatial-temporal reasoning.
They suggest that the effect may also aid the interpretation of information coming from the eye to the brain.
"We could assume that listening to Mozart can either 'prime' the pathways responsible for visual images, possibly shape or colour or improve intention to some extent."
'Enhancing reliability'
The researchers say there is a possibility that it was not the music which caused the improved performance, and it could have been anxiety in the group left in silence which affected their test results.
But they add that 10 minutes is a relatively short period for anxiety to develop to such an extent that it damaged performance, and that their findings fitted in to previous studies showing the "Mozart effect" in other areas.
However Dr Robert Stamper, of the University of California, San Francisco, department of ophthalmology, said: "Despite a large body of evidence that Mozart's music may have a positive influence on a variety of performance tasks, this study does not prove that it was the Mozart that was the causative factor.
"It could have been the headphones, Mozart music in general, or the specific piece that they played."
But he added: "The authors are to be congratulated for proposing a simple, inexpensive, non-invasive procedure for enhancing reliability of one of our least reliable testing methods.
"If some of the questions about the study could be answered satisfactorily, this improvement in our visual field testing process would be most welcome."
And Ian Murdoch, consultant Ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, warned there was potential bias in the study.
"An example of how this might matter might be that only music lovers were selected for the music listening group.
"This has more than just the possibility that they felt more buoyed up by Mozart; there is clear evidence that music prowess is linked to intelligence and thus may well be linked to field performance.
"It is tricky to make any conclusion other than it has a possible effect on medical students."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4920658.stm

Have you seen the Mozart garden?

So many people love Mozart's music and despite quite a bit of research that casts aspersions on Mozart's special healing or IQ-raising abilties. Recently I was looking up some information on the so-called "Mozart Effect" and I came across a picture of a beautiful garden in Austria where chamber music concerts of Mozart's music are held in the summer. Thought you might like to see this. Enjoy!

Is Mozart better than his contemporaries for healing?

Is Mozart better than his contemporaries for healing effects? Wow! That's a tough question that came my way recently. Needless to say it is not entirely an objective matter. Many musicologists, music historians, and performers believe that Mozart is the greatest composer that ever lived simply because Mozart was the master of every genre he attempted. No other composer wrote operas, symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets with equal ease. Some of his peers included Haydn, early Beethoven, his rival Salieri and many more. As of this moment I don't know of anyone who listens to these composers specifically for healing purposes. I could certainly be wrong about this. What do you think?

Why Mozart with babies?

This past week I was speaking at a hospital in New York and the subject was "The Importance ofMusic with Pregnancy, Preemies, and Newborns." The topic arose as to whether playing Mozart was better for unborn children than singing lullabies. My opinion, based on all the research I have read is that the mother singing lullabies or any soft, sweet songs is always the best. Every baby loves his own mother's voice the best because that is the voice that has been with him from the moment of conception. That voice is asociated with safety, security, and nurturing. Please pass this information on to someone you love!

Can Mozart help a pregnant woman?

I work a lot with pregnant women and they all want to know about the very best music to listen to during their pregnancy. Of course I always tell them that their voice singing to their unborn child is the best. The mother's voice is the one that baby hears first and most often while in utero and therefore that one that makes baby feel safe.

But what about Mozart? Well, many Marketers jumped in on the whole "Mozart Effect" media blitz and said that Mozart would make your baby smarter, happier, sleep better and all kinds of wonderful things. To my knowledge, no research has ever proven or even suggested that, so decide for yourself. Mozart certainly is not going to be bad for your baby but mother's voice softly crooning to baby is undoubtedly the best!

Mozart: Good for Weddings?

As you probably know by now, I was at a family wedding in Las Vegas this past week-end and was looking for evidence of healing music everywhere I went. Not surprisingly, the only really beautiful healing music I heard was at the actual wedding. The pre-wedding music as well as the wedding music was a medley of famous classical music pieces, including Mozart. Even though the wedding was outside and the weather was a little bit "shivery," the music was beautiful and relaxing. It did truly set the tone for a spiritual and long-lasting commitment. Mozart is always a good choice for weddings. Let me know if I can help you!

Did Mozart Have a Valentine?

http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/listmailings/love/Valentine's%20Day%2020

Did Mozart celebrate Valentine's Day? Probably not. Mozart was a loving and romantic guy and it only takes a glance at his operas to know that love was on his mind. If you've seen the film "Amadeus" then you know that romance, intrigue, and beautiful music were an integral part of his mind and his life. I would recommend seeing "The Marriage of Figaro" or "Cosi Fan Tutte" if you want to experience a wonderful Valentine's Day treat! Let me know what you think!

P.S. You can cut and paste the link above to get a Valentine's Day ebook as my gift to you

Happy Birthday Dear Mozart

We've been talking about him, listening to his music and studying his music and it's effect on pople for at least a decade, but for the last year we've been celebrating his 250th birthday. After a glorious year of concerts and tributes of all kinds, it has come to an end today with the celebration of his 251st birthday!

Take a few minutes today or tomorrow and listen to some of this beautiful, melodic and sublime music

Mozart's Birthday is almost here!!

Well, we been talking about it for a full year now. Talking about what?? Mozart's birthday!! The whole year of 2006 we were celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday. On the 27th of January, two days from now, we'll celebrate his 251st birthday! There will probably not be quite as much celebration about one of his birthday again until 2051, when he will be 300 years old! Wow! And I'll be 103!! Even more amazing to me! But enough of this silliness. Mozart was truly one of the greatest musical geniuses that ever lived and his music makes my life so much richer and more enjoyable. Do you know the piano concertos, the violin concertos or any of his operas? If not, start there; they are so gorgeous and so exciting that you'll forget any troubles you might have. Go ahead and get yourself a new CD or some concert tickets and bathe yourself in some of the most sublime music ever!!

Final days of Mozart's 250th Birthday

Well, did you enjoy the year of Mozart's 250th birthday?? Some of the most fantastic concerts of the 21st century to date have been played and I was fortunate to hear several of them. Mozart was one of the greatest musical geniuses of all times. If you haven't had a chance to listen to a piece of Mozart's music or read one the many outstanding biographies of this man, take a couple of hours and do so before the end of this awesome year!

http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/NeedSomeLast-minuteGifts.htm

What about Mozart's contemporaries?

You know Mozart's music has been put forth as the ideal healing music for helping with a variety of medical conditions. I met a psychiatrist a few days ago who was recalling a scene from "Amadeus" in which Mozart's usic was being described by his contemporary and rival Anton Salieri. Even Mozart's contemporaries recognized his amazing genius and unparalleled beauty of his music. But what about the ability of his contemporaries' music to heal? I think that many works by Haydn, Albrechtsberger, even Salieri can be calming, serene and have the organization that is so important to preparing the mind for standardized tests. Luckily, Mozart wrote 622 individual works of music so there's no shortage of this beautiful music, but if you would like to hear some of his contemporaries, I think you'd find their music very pleasing! You might also want to check out www.mozartforum.com.

Dr. Alfred Tomatis and Mozart

In April of 1991, I was very fortunate to study with Dr. Alfred Tomatis at the Tomatis Center in Phoenix, AZ. I attended a two-week seminar entitled "The Healing Power of Gregorian Chant." I had no idea how wonderful and enlightening this would be! It was Dr. Tomatis who told all of us (including Don Campbell) about the power of Mozart to help autistic children, people with a wide variety of emotional problems and learning disabilities to heal with Mozart violin concertos and Gregorian chant.

One of the things that Dr. Tomatis did so much research on was music and the unborn child. He was a great proponent of lullabies, especially for fussy, cranky babies. The album that I recommend is "Lullabies for Mother Baby Bonding" and includes a lullaby that Mozart himself loved!

Dr. Tomatis work is featured on many websites which I would urge you to check out. Just Google "Alfred Tomatis." His work is still not that well-known but I predict it will be one day.

Does Mozart's music make you smarter?

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Many of you have probably heard of "The Mozart Effect." The original research, done in California at UC Irvine, showed that Mozart's Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos helped highschool students score higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than students who listend to other music before the exam or those listened to nothing. This was exciting news and was widely reported in the media. Later, some marketers began suggesting that Mozart's music actually raised your IQ and "made you smarter." Not true. Neuromusicologists suggest that Mozart's music may help you to organize your thoughts and may be good to listen before or during a task. It's also beautiful, brilliant music. But it won't make you smarter! Sorry.

Was Mozart an active Healer?

Many people have asked me this over the past 10 years. It's a fair question, I think. For someone whose music is said to be so healing, you might think that Mozart actually was a healer but there is no evidence whatsoever that he ever thought of himself in those terms.

As a matter of fact, Mozart's life was extremely chaotic and he was always running around at the last minute finishing up the symphonies, concertos, and chamber music that had been commissioned for him. You may or may not realize that Mozart died a pauper...destitute...and was buried in an unmarked grave in Vienna. Such a brilliant man who wrote music that was all of genius quality. So tragic.

Research says Mozart Effect is dubious?

Scientists have discredited claims that listening to classical music enhances intelligence, yet this so-called "Mozart Effect" has actually exploded in popularity over the years.
Why, no one is really sure. It appears that the more people literally disprove this urban myth, the more people want to believe it. Is the Mozart Effect like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny? We hope not but the original effects have never really been duplicated.

More about Mozart

Scientists argued over whether the phenomenon had a relatively simple explanation, such as just improving a person's mood, or if the effect was tied to a unique quality of the Mozart's compositions. One study reported that the particular rhythmic qualities of Mozart's music mimic some rhythmic cycles occurring in human brains.
Now Rauscher and her collaborator Hong Hua Li, a geneticist at Stanford University in California, think they have found the molecular basis of the Mozart effect. Their study used rats, which, like humans, perform better on learning and memory tests after listening to the sonata.
The researchers found that these smarter rats had increased gene expression of BDNF, a neural growth factor, CREB, a learning and memory compound, and synapsin I, a synaptic growth protein, in their hippocampus, as compared to control rats who had listened to equivalent amounts of white noise.

Molecular Basis for Mozart Effect Revealed!

This article appeared in 2004: 15:10 23 April 2004
NewScientist.com news service
Emily Singer, San Francisco

New research has revealed a molecular basis for the "Mozart effect" - the observation that a brief stint of Mozart, but not other music, may improve learning and memory.
Rats that heard a Mozart sonata expressed higher levels of several genes involved in stimulating and changing the connections between brain cells, the study showed. The team, including the researcher who first proposed the Mozart effect, hope the results will help them design music therapy treatments for people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The Mozart effect first came to light in a 1993 paper in Nature (vol 365, p 611), when Fran Rauscher, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, US, and colleagues showed that college students who listened to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major for 10 minutes performed better on a spatial reasoning test than students who listened to new age music or nothing at all.
The findings sparked excitement from the general public - specially designed Mozart CDs leapt up the music charts - and some scepticism from the scientific community.

Have you tried playing Mozart yet?

After my last post, many people emailed me to say that they really wanted to try using Mozart for increased concentration when doing tasks like homework, balancing a checkbook, working on taxes, etc. Many people asked which Mozart pieces were best. According to Dr. Alfred Tomatis, who first observed this cause and effect phenomenon back in the 1950's, the five violin concertos of Mozart are the very best pieces to listen to if you want to experience increased concentration.

For true healing effects you would want to listen to the Mozart that relaxes and calms you best. I would suggest the slow movements of not only the violin concertos but also slow movements of piano sonatas, string quartets and symphonies. There is a beautiful solo piano piece called "Adagio in b minor" that is absolutely exquisite. I would recommend getting a recording of that just for pure relaxation! I may make a recording of it myself!