Music Can Improve Your Child's IQ and EQ

"Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." -Beethoven

Filipinos are known for their love of music. No wonder there's a proliferation of videoke bars in almost every street corner and perhaps in a large percentage of our homes. But music is normally viewed as an exercise in aesthetics, or perhaps body kinesthetics. To some it's a hobby, to  ohers a livelihood. To the hobbyist it serves as a way to relax and remove stress whether by way of listening or dancing to the beat. Seldom is music viewed beyond this in ordinary life, until recently. Studies after studies have shown that music has other uses, especially in learning. Indeed, music can enhance learning and even improve a child's IQ and EQ.

Music helps us learn because it will

  • establish a positive learning state
  • create a desired environment
  • build a sense of anticipation
  • energize learning activities
  • change brain wave states
  • focus concentration
  • increase attention
  • improve memory
  • facilitate a multisensory learning experience
  • release tension
  • enhance imagination
  • align groups
  • develop rapport
  • provide inspiration and motivation
  • add an element of fun
  • accentuate theme-oriented units

When learning a song, a musical instrument, or a dance step, your child experiences the unique integration of body and mind that music provides. Sensory integration is a crucial factor in children's learning readiness for school subjects such as reading, writing, and math. 

Research show that listening to music increases activity in the brain's temporal region. Although different music and their loudness have different effects on the brain, they are found to help improve cognitive functioning, increase the size of brain neurons, and assist a person to achieve higher mental performance. According to Bower (2004), children who listen to music show average IQ increases of about 7.0 points each school year.

Researchers, Flohr and Miller (1999) found that  students listening to classical music in the background scored higher in math than students who were not listening to any music. At the same time, researchers discovered that listening to soft rock, jazz or fast pace background music in the work place can enhance worker productivity and performance efficiency.

If you are a parent, you certainly can use music in ways that teachers also use them in a classroom setting. Background music is one way. Slow, classical music, especially in the baroque period is said to be the best in bringing the brain to an alpha state where learning is optimized. Others believe that Mozart music is useful because of its structured character. Feel free to experiment on your own and do not limit the type of music that you can use. Certain activities may require a certain type.