Music and Child Development

Alyssa Mohr
THE 337
5/14/15
Music has been a thriving industry for hundreds of years now and has touched many lives
both positively and negatively. There has been a lot of research concerning music being used
during instruction, including the ways we can make it suitable for many grade levels. Music not
only curbs a students mood, but it enhances their ability to learn a particular subject. It
empowers the student, it improves their engagement in the classroom, and it opens their hearts
and minds in an intellectual way.
Not everyone is affected by music in the same way. However in a Stanford study in 2013,
it was discovered that music stimulates different brains in the same manner.1 The studys senior
author, Vinod Menon, realized that despite our different cultural preference, individuals follow
the same patterns when it comes to music. In order to avoid using words, the authors of this
study used classical music. By doing this, they found that classical music stimulates individuals.
The method of the study was having different individuals perform the same task and getting the
same response due to music. All of the participants in the study were right handed. This detail
caused the study to go astray because they failed to test left handed individuals. Menon states,
Left-handed people's brains tend to deviate from that map. However, the hole in this method
did not have a negative impact. Due to this study, we can infer that classical music during any
type of activity stimulates the brain of individuals in particularly the same way.
Classical music can stimulate the brain during the elementary stages or even for
individuals much older, but there has been research to show that classical music, specifically
Mozart helps babies after pregnancy and even during pregnancy. This is called the Mozart effect
that was first reported in 1993. This research found that playing Mozart during a womans
pregnancy would make the baby smarter. This is not true; however, playing classical music helps
soothe the baby. Even earlier in life music becomes an important entity in a childs development.
1

Study shows different brains have similar responses to music, Goldman, 2013.

Music and Child Development

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Students engagement in the classroom can be very difficult especially when it comes to
specific grade levels of students. In 2007, Logan Elementary School performed a study on the
effects of background music. The researchers four main points were whether, background
music increases student motivation, positive behavior, relaxation, and staying on-task. 2
Implementing music in the classroom is meant to improve student learning and functioning in the
classroom. Background music is a great tool for all educators to use on a daily basis in their
classrooms. It improves both focus and performance on assignments. The teachers main job is to
help the students achieve their goals and aspirations in life. A major way to achieve this
important task is through the use of music. It not only stimulates growth, but it brings joy and
calmness into the classroom.
As earlier stated, there has been research that types of music help students become
successful in particular subjects such as history or science. One major example of this is an
American television program called Schoolhouse Rock. It involves catchy tunes that teach
students about important subjects in education. One of the most memorable ones is the song
known as Im Just a Bill. This song highlights the different steps a bill must go through before
it becomes a law. Another important aspect in United States history is a student knowing the fifty
states and their capitals along with the presidents of the United States. Animaniacs is responsible
for these two very catchy songs. The Presidents Song by Animaniacs not only points out the
forty presidents, but attaches catchy phrases about each president while incorporating history.
These two songs are not too long and they can be used during lesson plans in the classroom. One
very popular song that is actually sung in front of the student body often in schools is known as
Fifty Nifty United States. This song has been around for many years and through its snappy
2

The Effects of Background Music in the Classroom on the productivity, motivation, and
behavior of fourth grade students, page vii, White, 2007

Music and Child Development

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THE 337
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background music names every state in the United States along with the fact that they come from
thirteen original colonies. With grave practice and repetition of these songs, students will be able
to memorize the songs and bring with them some important knowledge of United States history.
Music has also been used to help with science curriculum inside and outside the
classroom. An example of this would be from the old television show Happy Days. The show
Happy Days was in the 70s and the main characters were high school students. The song they
produced called Pump Your Blood is about the circulatory system and how it brings blood to
your heart. The interesting part about this scene of the show is that they are actually singing the
song for the professor. Even older students in education use music to help them understand
important concepts. Another example of older students making up a song to help learn a concept
is in the show Hannah Montana. In this show, the main character makes up a memorable song
about the two hundred and six bones in the body. Once again, music is used in the classroom to
learn specific science concepts.
Not only does music help with classroom management and learning particular subjects in
the classroom, it is known to help students become more creative writers. Many students do not
enjoy writing especially in the early stages of education. Andrea H. Antepenko had a different
approach through music. She would play music while the students wrote and noticed that the
words came more from the students hearts and minds and right onto the page.3 Not only does
music enhance writing skills, but it also enhances the students creativity while they are writing.
This is very important today especially with the new common core standards in schools.
For teachers it is important to realize that every student learns at a different pace and that
each uses their intelligence in a different way. Howard Gardner is a Professor of Education at
Harvard University. In 1983, Gardner originally came up with an initial six different intelligences
3

The Music Connection, Antepenko, 2008.

Music and Child Development

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THE 337
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and later expanded his list to nine different intelligences. One of these nine intelligences is
musical intelligence. Gardner defines musical intelligence as the ability to produce and
appreciate rhythm, pitch and timber.4 Along with musical intelligence, teachers can take the other
eight intelligences into account in order to integrate it in their curriculum and instruction in the
classroom. Teachers who know the research of these different intelligences have an advantage to
help improve the development of students in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. This is
very important for students to improve their ability to strive in school through music and many
other aspects of life. Not only does using music in the classroom enhance the learning process,
but it also helps in the development of musical intelligence.5 Musical intelligence involves the
many different types of music, the famous classical artists that is learned through music
appreciation classes.
Now, teachers might wonder how exactly to incorporate music in their curriculum. One
article presents eight different ways in which a teacher can use music during his/her language
arts instruction. The first way is to use music as an aid in memorizing curriculum. Examples
above such as the show Schoolhouse Rock are great tools to use for this skill set. Fortunately,
Schoolhouse Rock has a wide variety of songs that cover multiple subjects in the classroom.
Another way to use music in language arts instruction is specifically through the use of lyrics.
For example, a teacher had her students take home printed out lyrics to a song and circle the
nouns and underline the actions verbs.6 This is a fun way for the students to practice their
knowledge of verbs and nouns and how they are used in music. As pointed out earlier, music can
also help students with their writing skills. In Gawrons article, she sets up a scenario of a teacher
who plays the theme song from the film Jaws as her students are entering the classroom. When
4

Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences, page 1, Thirteen ed online, 2004.

Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom, Brewer, 1995.
6
8 Ways to Use Music in the Language Arts Classroom, Gawron, 2014.
5

Music and Child Development

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THE 337
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the students sit down, she has them write about how the song makes them feel or what the music
represents. This opens the childs heart and mind once again through the use of music. The other
techniques of how to implement music in the classroom have to do with literary analysis and the
different types of writing. Music is empowering and it helps the kids connect with what they are
learning. Music also makes the subjects that are not as interesting seem adventurous and
enjoyable. It is a way for the teacher and students to connect.
One of major reasons why teachers love to play music in the classroom is because it sets
a certain tone for their students and the environment around them. As a teacher, you want the
student to be comfortable in the classroom and be able to feel welcomed. Music plays a key role
in this feeling of acceptance among their classroom community. Ludwig van Beethoven once
said, Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.7 Students,
especially at a younger age have the power to change the world. Teachers are the tutors to get
them there and music is the tool to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.

Bibliography
1. Antepenko, Andrea H. "Membership." Educational Leadership: The Positive Classroom:
The Music Connection. N.p., Sept. 2008. Web. 14 May 2015.
<http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept08/vol66/num01/TheMusic-Connection.aspx>.
7

Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom, Brewer, 1995.

Music and Child Development

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2. Brewer, Chris. "Johns Hopkins University School of Education Music and Learning:
Integrating Music in the Classroom." Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom. N.p., 1995. Web. 14 May 2015.
<http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts%20in
%20Education/brewer.htm>.
3. Gardner, Howard. "Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences." Howard
Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences (n.d.): n. pg.
Http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/learning/howard_gardner_theory_multiple_in
telligences.pdf. 2010. Web.
4. Gawron, Heather. "8 Ways to Use Music in the Language Arts Classroom." Edutopia, 28
Mar. 2014. Web. 14 May 2015. <http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-music-strategieslanguage-arts-classroom-heather-wolpert-gawron>.
5. Goldman, Bruce. "Study Shows Different Brains Have Similar Responses to Music."
News Center. Standard Medicine, 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 May 2015.
<http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/04/study-shows-different-brains-havesimilar-responses-to-music.html>.
6. White, Kevin N. The Effects of Background Music in the Classroom on the
Productivity, Motivation, and Behavior of Fourth Grade Students. Columbia College,
2007.