Music therapy- Anyone use it while doing Maths?

[Jasperstone]

A fellow homeschooler said she has Bach playing softly in the background while her dc do Maths.

 

Has anyone here done the same? Which Classical Composers did you use?

 

What were the results- were you children calmer, had better concentration, more creative etc....?

[datgh]

I personally think it depends on the kid.  My son likes quiet while my daughter on the other hand does her math with the music going and singing at the top of her lungs.  My daughter gets the better grades :glare:  so I can't argue. My daughter listens to what ever music she enjoys and now that she is a teen........

[momacacia]

I thought it was the Mozart Effect? How did Bach get involved in this? ;)

 

I love the idea but suspect it would be a distraction to some kids and benefit to others.

[Kerileanne99]

Yes, the idea of playing Music in general (regardless of composer, lol) is called the Mozart effect. Lots of research but very little in the way of evidence.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1281386/

 

That being said, there has been research to show that the volume of background noise (and the type-words seem to be distracting) can really have an impact.

 

There was an article recently about white noise in the background, at low levels of volume, can have a positive effect

[Lanny]

DD is 13 and she is a Distance Learning student. This is not something we do for her. This is something she does for herself. Frequently, when she is studying, she has Classical Music running on her PC.  Math is her easiest subject. There is a very strong connection, between people who enjoy/play music and those who are good with Math. I worked with at least 2 people who had degrees in Music and then they went back and got an M.S. in Math and were working as Engineers. Also, I remember when my wife was pregnant with DD, we purchased several CDs of Classical Music for babies. I believe we played those when my wife was pregnant, for DD.  And, after she was born. My wife gave those CDs away, but I wish we had them now, because DD is interested in Classical Music...

[Jenny in Florida]

We always used to play classical music while my kids were doing their schoolwork. I never thought of it as "therapy" or "using" the music. It was just pleasant and calming for all of us. Our favorite was when our local public radio station used to play classical music during the day. The DJ was wonderful about introducing the pieces and giving background information about composers and such in a very calm, non-obtrusive way. It was entirely possible to ignore him, but when we did pay attention, we all learned a lot.

 

I just like classical music, though, as do both of my kids. (The first CD my daughter begged to purchase and have for her own was a Mozart collection.)

 

When the public radio station got rid of most of its local staff and discontinued classical during the day, we switched to playing our own CDs and/or playing Pandora.

 

My personal preference is for mostly Baroque composers. I have a multi-CD set called something like "A Treasury of Baroque" that has gotten a lot of play around here.

[gardenmom5]

my dd always liked to have pirates of penzance playing while she did math.  she said it helped. realistically I've no idea.  she did tend to have the highest math score in her grade in high school.

[J-rap]

We have the public radio classical music station playing all day long at our house.  I guess we were doing music therapy and didn't even realize it!  :)  I always thought it helped make a pleasant environment.  My kids play classical music to this day.

[SailorMom]

I did a large research paper on the Mozart Effect years ago.  Oddly, Mozart does have a different effect than other composers.  I can't remember the specifics, but something about the rhythms and note combos he uses. 

There are also cd's out there specifically created for music therapy and brain plasticity training.  We've used them when my son was trying to improve his handwriting.  I'm really not sure if they helped or not, lol :)

[gardenmom5]

most of the music tomatis listening therapy uses is Mozart.

I did a large research paper on the Mozart Effect years ago.  Oddly, Mozart does have a different effect than other composers.  I can't remember the specifics, but something about the rhythms and note combos he uses. 

There are also cd's out there specifically created for music therapy and brain plasticity training.  We've used them when my son was trying to improve his handwriting.  I'm really not sure if they helped or not, lol :)

 

[Seasider]

Yes, Mozart. I just played it quietly in the background when they did their independent seat work.

[Jasperstone]

Thank you all!

 

I will borrow some Mozart next time I'm at the library.

 

They say it stimulates the same side of the brain, so that makes sense!

 

I never really liked it before, but now I'm enjoying it. So it might be a good thing to start the children early on with, to develop the taste for it, Regardless if the results are earth shattering, or not.

[AndyJoy]

I went to a small private school and we often decided as a class to listen to music during Geometry and Algebra 2. The Gregorian chants were my favorite and I thought they aided in concentraton. I did learn all the words to a Point of Grace album too...not nearly as helpful for me.