MUSIC: A force to be reckoned with!

There are no limits to the power of music.  You may think these statements are lofty and exaggerated, yet there are a myriad of clinical studies to support these claims.  Several years ago scientists were eager to discover the impact of music on the animal kingdom.  They traveled to a prominent dairy farm in the Midwest.  With the cooperation of the farmers, they embarked on the following experiment.  At one end of a very large dairy barn they piped in the timeless, peaceful, harmonies of none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Half the cows were listening exclusively to his orderly, organized melodies.  At the other side of the barn, cows were exposed to loud, ruckus, blaring heavy metal rock and roll.  Over time, a most astounding phenomenon occurred.  The cows on the Mozart side experienced a measureable increase in milk output.  Farmers reported an abundance of milk far exceeding normal expectations.  The cows on the heavy metal side became increasing more irritable, restless and clearly out of sorts.  Their milk output gradually lessened and remarkably over time, dried up completely.

In another fascinating, clinical study, scientists set up the same type of controlled environment in a huge greenhouse housing thousands of plants and trees.  At one end the Mozart music filled the greenhouse with harmonious overtones.  Conversely, the heavy metal side created an audio assault on the environment.  The result is nothing less than astounding.  Yes, the plants on the Mozart side flourished and grew more lush and green than ever before.  But no, the other plants on the opposite end did not turn brown and die as one might have predicted.  In fact, those plants and trees continued to grow and flourish but in a most astounding way.  Little by little, they turned, leaned and grew toward the Mozart side.  These astounding results clearly attest to the power of music!!

I have had the good fortune of teaching music to children from kindergarten through middle school grades.  I have experienced firsthand the short and long term effects of music on childhood development.  Those students who study music either in class or in a private environment are clearly more focused and attentive.  This of course is manifested not only in music study, but in all academic subject areas.  These children have mastered the art of listening far beyond the capabilities of the non-music students.  They have acquired the filters necessary to master a higher level of fact internalization and their ability to disseminate mathematical equations and formulas are clearly more finely honed. 

As children learn to “decode” the symbols that represent the language of music, the neurons in the brain reach new found limits.  Students who engage in daily practice of music develop more refined study skills that carry over into every area of the curriculum.  They develop the confidence and competence to prioritize and set limits for themselves.  Their “free time” is spent in the most productive and rewarding pursuits.

Yes, one cannot negate the overwhelming power of music.  It is real, it is effective and it works!  It is not only fundamental to success in our demanding, highly technical, fast-moving world, but it is what makes us most human, most complete as people.  We must respect the power of music.

Felicia Ruffman, is the owner and director of Yamaha Music Education Centers in Paramus, Livingston and Princeton NJ.  She has been a field consultant to the Yamaha Music Education Systems, USA for the past 40 years.  For more information please visit www.ymsbergen.com.