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Brandon Low

Dr. Erin Dietel-McLaughlin

English 13100

28 October 2010

Music Incorporated in Class

A waterfall of crimson and orange leaves hurtles across my path as the

unforgivable October winds chill every bone in my body. I quickly jump into O¶Neill

Hall before another gale is able to freeze me. I hike up the floor flight of stairs to my

room and plop down at my desk. Feeling utterly exhausted, I recall all of the work I need

to complete for tomorrow. As I grudgingly take out my math homework, I slap the

spacebar for my computer to start playing my iTunes classical music playlist. The

beautiful vibrato in the violin solo and the intricate combinations of harmonies and

melodies melts away all the tension from my body. The warmth trickles to my face and

my mind becomes at ease. Opening the calculus book to the correct page, I eagerly get to

work on the first problem. Although I have found music to help me do my schoolwork,

there has been a debate about whether or not music benefits students¶ education.

According to recent studies, music is found to be helpful to students and many claim to

listen music while studying or doing homework. Some teachers strongly believe that

music distract students from class rather than benefit their education. There are also many

rumors that classical music increases intelligences. For example, the Mozart effect claims

that IQ test scores increase while listening to Mozart (Martin and Sword). But exactly

which statements are correct and which are fallacies? I believe that schools should



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incorporate the playing of classical music in class because it benefits students¶

academics.

Music partly does this by engaging people¶s left and right hemispheres. Music has

a very unique affect on the brain. The brain is separated into two sections, the left and

right hemispheres. The left hemisphere is the logical side while the right hemisphere is

the creative side (Millbower 32). The left side is involved with rhythms and lyrics while

the right side is involved in dynamics, harmonies and melodies (Millbower 35). The

hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum, which is the connecting tissue that

provides the means of communication between the two sides of the brain (Millbower 31).

Studies have found that music develops the corpus callosum. Overall, music develops

both sides of the brain and corpus callosum, which is used to communicate between the

two hemispheres.

A benefit of using music to strengthen the corpus callosum is that it creates

better scholars. When people are immersed in music at an early age they can be ³more

effective adult learners´ (Millbower 36). Albert Einstein is an example of how music

benefits the learning ability of the brain. At a young age, Albert Einstein had no

resemblance of a mastermind and was near the bottom of his class. His teachers

considered him remedial and suggested his parents remove him from school (O¶Donnell).

Instead of listening to their criticism, Einstein¶s mother made him take up the violin. Ever

since then, the violin helped Einstein to become the brilliant scientist we now know of

him today. Some of his colleagues even witnessed Einstein improvising on the violin

when trying to solve a difficult problem (O¶Donnell). Similarly, Thomas Jefferson played

the violin to help him search for the words to put in the Declaration of Independence



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(O¶Donnell). Jefferson also learned how to play the violin at a young age as part of his

early education (³Jefferson the Violinist´). He loved playing the violin and has helped

him incredibly in his work (³Jefferson the Violinist´). Einstein and Jefferson are a few

examples of music helping create great scholars; therefore, teaching children with music

should be a priority in education.

An example of students becoming great learners when immersed in music is the

relationship between music education and academics. The International Association for

the Evaluation of Educational Achievement discovered that countries such as Hungary,

Netherlands, and Japan that place a high emphasis on music education are also

considered to have the best academics in the world (³The Benefits´). However, the

United States regarded as an academic level lower than Hungary, Netherlands, and Japan

continues to ³focus on math science, vocabulary, and technology´ (³The Benefits´). The

United States can easily become a country with strong academics by implementing music

into education. Overall, music enhances one¶s ability to learn very effectively and it

improves characteristics that make for great learners.

One characteristic that music enhances for great learners is creativity. Creativity

allows students to take different approaches to solve problems, increase their interest in

discovery, become more open to other ideas, and develop new ideas (³Why is Creativity

So Important?´). Music promotes creativity by engaging the right hemisphere (the

creative side) of the brain and ³affects the brain¶s center for creativity development´

(Rakoczy). There was a student survey done at secondary schools in Surrey, British

Columbia about if listening to music affects their creativity (Koehler). Almost of all the

students expressed that music has positive affects on their creativity (Koehler). One



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student mentioned, ³[Music] has a positive affect on my creativity because often I seek

inspiration through music, the atmosphere evoked, in order to put myself into the

appropriate setting for what I want to think of´ (Koehler). Another pupil explained, ³My

creativity levels increase when I¶m listening to classical music, or some people call it

µbrain music¶. Classical music to me is like a door to a new world of creativity´

(Koehler). Music has a deep impact in student¶s creativity in school; therefore, music

should implemented be in classes. All together music especially classical music has a

very large affect on student¶s creativity and helps students become greater learners.

Another characteristic of being a good leaner is being able to have great memory.

It was found that classical music activates both left and right sides of the brain and

enhances learning and memory (O¶Donnell). When music is played, it ³triggers the

neurons and brain cells which are required for sharp memory´ (Rakoczy). There was a

study at the University of North Texas that proves students can learn and recall items

more efficiently with classical music. Students were broken into three groups and were

asked to memorize vocabulary words, and then take a test right after (O¶Donnell). The

first group read the words with Handel¶s Water Music and imagined the words, the

second group read and imagined the words, and the last group just read the words in

silence. When the tests were scored, it was found that the first two groups had higher

scores than the last group (O¶Donnell). This shows that music creates higher scores on

memorization tests. King George I of England actually employed Handel to create Water

Music to improve his memory loss and decrease his stress after reading in the Bible that

King Saul used music to cure a similar problem. Handel¶s music was successful and



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helped alleviate his complications. So the improvement in learning and memorization is a

reason to play classical music in the classroom.

Another way that music benefits students¶ academic performances is through

relaxation. Lento music, which contains a slow and calm tempo, is also found to reduce

stress when played during a test setting. In an experiment in Taiwan, researchers tested

the affects music had on students when taking an examination. It was discovered that

³lento music is effective at anxiety reduction´ (Chang et al.). Playing lento music lowers

the heart rate, slows breathing, and increases body temperature, which is ³an indication of

the onset of relaxation´ (Trudeau). Relaxation can play a tremendous part in learning and

studying since these activities can be very stressful at times. Also relieving stress can

help students concentrate on the task at hand. So music can play a role in easing students

into a learning state of mind and providing them greater concentration. However, there

has also been a study showing that music does not help students in a test setting.

Although there are numerous studies supporting the claim that music assists in

learning and taking tests, some studies suggest that students perform poorer with music

playing. For example, two researchers Stacy Anderson and Gerald Fuller gave reading

comprehension tests to junior high school students. One group was placed a in a silent

room while the other students had Billboard Magazine's (2006) top hit singles played in

their room (Anderson and Fuller). The test results showed that the students with music

actually performed poorer than the students with silence during the test (Anderson and

Fuller). This may make it seem that music is a distracter to students, however the type of

music also plays a role on how music affects the brain. "The brain is a pattern seeking

organ´ (Gray) and it searches for patterns in music in order to comprehend it. Classical



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music such as Bach and Beethoven ³follow strict musical formula to produce music that

was easy on the ear by ensuring it contained patterns that could be picked out by the

brain´ (Gray). Many contemporary songs do not have these strict patterns making it

difficult for the brain to follow (Gray). Therefore classical music should be listened to

when doing schoolwork and a theory called the Mozart effect proves this point.

Another benefit of classical music on the brain is that it increases students¶ spatial

reasoning. The Mozart effect states that listening to Mozart can have short-term

improvements on spatial reasoning tasks (Martin and Sword). Spatial reasoning is defined

as the ability to interpret and make drawings, form images, and visualize movement or

change in those images (³Mathematics State Curriculum Glossary´). People with great

spatial reasoning are able to imagine how an object would look like if altered without

physically transforming it such as a building flipped upside down or several rotations of a

Rubik¶s Cube. Researchers Frances H. Rauscher, Gordon L. Shaw and Katherine N. Ky

from the University of California, Irvine conducted an experiment to validate the Mozart

effect. They gave 36 college students three different Stanford-Binet intelligence tests (IQ

tests that measure spatial reasoning) in three testing conditions. One had Mozart¶s sonata

for two pianos in D major playing, another had relaxation instructions, and the last one

had total silence (Rauscher et al. 611). The results showed an improvement of 8-9 points

with the playing of Mozart over the other two settings. However, the heightened spatial

reasoning skills do not last more than 10-15 minutes after listening (Rauscher et al. 611).

Still teachers would rather provide a temporary increased spatial reasoning for their

students than nothing at all. With classical music students can perform better in spatial

reasoning tasks, which is a necessity in mathematics and some sciences (Zhan). Even



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though classical music may only have a temporary affect on spatial reasoning, it can still

be used productively in a classroom setting.

Classical music has another affect on learning in the brain. The brain has four

different types of states/waves. They are beta, alpha, theta, and delta and ranges from

very active to deep sleep respectively (Levine). The optimal state for one¶s brain to be in

for learning is the alpha state (³Alpha Brainwaves Provide the Optimum Learning State

for the Brain´). This is when the mind is relaxed, but still attentive (Levine). The brain is

able to absorb and remember the most during this state. Baroque and classical music is

found to be one of the best ways for the mind to enter the alpha state (³Alpha Brainwaves

Provide the Optimum Learning State for the Brain´). Jill Mattson, a researcher in music

and the body, described classical music as a tool ³to access our peak intellectual

performance whenever we want to´ (³Music Helps Boost IQ´). Therefore playing

classical music in the classroom can be a device for students to learn efficiently.

Given the benefits in the experiments and studies mentioned above, teachers

should implemented classical music in the classroom to help students when learning.

There are multiple ways in which teachers can use music in the classroom to benefit their

students. Teachers can play classical music during tests or other individual activities.

Soothing music such as classical is found to relax people and put them in a better mood

(Millbower 102). If teachers played music in the classroom over loud speakers, it will

calm their students. After multiple classes with music, this calm setting will be embedded

into the limbic system of the brain, which ³acts as the memory controller´ (Millbower

102). So whenever they enter the class they will associate it as a comfortable learning

environment and will desire to learn. The music doesn¶t need to be played throughout the



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whole lesson, but at times when it would be the most appropriate like as background

sound in the classroom. Music creates a sense of privacy in a group discussion, helps to

recall certain items, blocks out any interference to allow for deeper concentration, and

promotes great brainstorm ideas (Millbower 105-106). Students will not only perform

better in school, they will also become more interested and focus in their studies as well.

These are the many benefits that teachers can provide to help their students¶ academics.

In conclusion, schools should incorporate music in their curriculums by playing

classical music in the class in order to benefit students¶ learning. Music engages both

sides of the brain and strengthens the corpus callosum. This engagement helps students

become better scholars like Einstein and Jefferson by developing characteristics such as

creativity, learning, and memory. Students are also able to relieve stress and concentrate

better with music playing. Although not all styles of music have been found to aid

students, there is much evidence that classical music helps students with their academics.

Classical also improves spatial reasoning required in mathematics and can be used to

enter the alpha state where learning is most effective. Additionally, the countries with the

best academics in the world are also the ones that incorporate music education in their

curriculum. Therefore classical music should be played in classrooms mainly during tests

and individuals activities to benefit students. If we want to help the students of today and

the future learn effectively, we should incorporate music in the school curriculums. This

way we can ensure that all students are get the most out of their education and become

resourceful members of society. The children are our future and we need to provide them

the best schooling they can receive for a better tomorrow.



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Works Cited

³Alpha Brainwaves Provide the Optimum Learning State for the Brain.´ 200 Words A

Day, 2010. Web. 23 October 2010.

Anderson, Stacey A. and Fuller Gerald B. ³Effect of Music on Reading Comprehension

of Junior High School Students.´ School Psychology Quarterly 3.25 (2010): 178.

Academic Search Premier . EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2010.

Bull, Michael. Sound Moves: iPod Culture and Urban Experience. New York:

Routledge, 2007. Print.

Chang, Fwu-Mei, et al. ³Randomized crossover trial studying the effect of music on

examination anxiety.´ ScienceDirect: SciVerse, Nov. 2008.Web. 5 Oct. 2010.

Gray, Richard. ³Audiences Hate Modern Classical Music Because Their Brains Cannot

Cope.´ Telegraph.co.uk , 2010. Web. 20 October 2010.

³Jefferson the Violinist.´ Discovering Lewis & Clark , 2010. Web. 1 December 2010.

Koehler, Jennifer. ³Student Perceptions of Music in the Classroom.´ University of

Oregon, 2008. Web. 1 December 2010.

Levine, John B. ³Brain Waves, Alpha Music and Productive Calmness.´ Silence of

Music, 2009. Web. 20 October 2010.

Martin, Jenna and Sword, Celesta. ³Does Bach have the Same Effect as Mozart on

Spatial Reasoning?´ Western State University, 2009. Web. 21 October 2010.

³Mathematics State Curriculum Glossary.´ School Improvement in Maryland , 2010.

Web. 20 October 2010.

Millbower, Lenn. Training with a Beat. Sterling: Stylus Publishing, LLC, 2000. Print.

³Music Helps Boost IQ.´ IQ Test Experts, 2010. Web. 30 November 2010.



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O¶Donnell, Laurence. ³Music and the Brain.´ Music Power , 1999. Web. 10 October

2010.

Rakoczy, Christy. ³How Does Music Affect the Brain?´ YourDictionary.com, 2010.

Web. 1 December 2010.

Rauscher, Frances H., et al. "Music and Spatial Task Performance." Nature, 1993. 611.

Print.

³The Benefits.´ Musequality, 2010. Web. 24 November 2010.

Trudeau, Julie. ³Music Helps In Relieving Stress.´ Ezine Articles, 2010. Web. 1

December 2010.

³Why is Creativity So Important?´ National Curriculum, 2010. Web. 1 December 2010.

Vess, Deborah L. ³History to Go: Why iTeach with iPods.´ The History Teacher 39.4

History Cooperative, 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.

Zhan, Cindy. ³The Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective.´

Serendip, 2008. Web. 21 October 2010.

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