The Mozart Effect: A Note of Truth 104

Great to be back. Hope everyone had a relaxing holiday break. Hard to believe it is February. Andy and I thought this month’s column should focus on “The Mozart effect.” The term was coined by the media to describe the findings of a study published in 1993 in the prestigious journal Nature (1). The media attention has taken the term well beyond the short‐term effects described.
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Music Education and Long-Term Effects on Cognition 103

It is always exciting to write this monthly column. Andy and I typically throw a few ideas back and forth before we decide which aspect of the vast area of music education and brain development the column should focus on. The results of the scientific study we are focusing on this month1 suggest that formal instrumental music education and regularly playing a musical instrument benefit brain plasticity and function throughout life.
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Music Education and Brain Plasticity 102

It is really great to be back with my second column. This month, we will summarize and elaborate on the robust study you heard about in early October through MEF tweets and Facebook updates, which reported that verbal intelligence and brain plasticity were enhanced in a group of children following music training.1 Let’s review and elaborate on the results so that MEF has more in its armamentarium to defend and expand rigorous music education in our children’s schools.
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Music Education and Brain Plasticity 101

I am pleased to be a part of Music Empowers and writing this first column. My fascination for the inner workings of the brain goes back to a memoir I read as a child entitled "Death Be Not Proud" (John Gunther; published 1949). Like most boys, I did not like reading. But this true story about Gunther's son's struggle and eventual demise from a brain tumor really captivated me on many levels. One was the multitude of unanswered questions it raised about the brain. No doubt, all of us in the Foundation share this curiosity. We also believe that a solid music education is critical for our children's personal & intellectual growth.
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