Classical Music: The Positive Effects Of The Mozart Effect

When people hear the term “classical music” they usually think of it as all western art music. In fact classical era music usually refers to the music from specifically 1730 – 1820, the period of time between the Baroque and Romantic era. Classical music pays careful attention to form, elegance and restraint, and it is defined by a number of forms such as sonata, symphony, concerto, theme and variation, as well as rondo, which become dominant during that time, especially sonata form. Research has revealed that with its rhythm and melody, it could have positive impacts to the brain and benefits the people when they are listening to the classical era music.

In comparison to Baroque era music, the structure of the piece, the phrases and
Many studies has been done about the “Mozart effect”, one of the researcher indicated the effectiveness of listening to Mazart’s sonata by seeing the performance on IQ (intelligent quotient) test, with three groups of college students. According to Dr. Jessica Grahn, a scientist at Western University in London, Ontario said “The Mozart effect is a media-driven myth. One study in 1992 showed that undergraduate students who listened to Mozart before a test did better than students who sat in silence or listened to a relaxation tape. ” Before taking the exam, the first group listened to Mozart’s sonata and scored the highest with an average of 119. The second group scored the second with an average of 111, as they listened to relaxation music before the exam, while the third group ended up the last with an average of 110 when they did not listen to anything at all before taking the exam. It is determined that the rhythm of the music could stimulate the listener to use both left and right brains simultaneously, which led to an improved memory and learning abilities. And it allows the brain to concentrate more easily and process information in shorter time, hence augment cognitive
The second component that affects the listeners is the rhymes that synchronize with body’s vital rhythms. It produces proper mood for the listeners to enhance their performance on cognitive tasks and creativities. The information that is being studied activates the left side of the brain whereas music activates the right side of the brain, therefore maximize the intake of information and be more capable of processing information while studying. In fact, babies as young as young 3 months old are able to pick out the structure and parts they have heard before from classical music, therefore children benefits even more than adults when they listen to classical music, some research showed even pregnant women could have positive effects on their babies as they develop in the