LASALLE College of the Arts Faculty for the Creative Industries BA (Hons) Arts Management Level 2

Musical Intelligence and the Importance of Nurturing it.

Viknesh Kumar S/O Appanasamy 12255 (AM5B) History and Contextual Studies Music Dr Samuel Wong November 15, 2011

Introduction

Commencing from four and one-half months before birth, and continuing throughout life, music is an indispensable system used by humans to think and converse about anything in the universe. Music was in existence even before linguistics and can be found in every culture (Nash 1995).

Understanding is the capability to put what they have learnt into real circumstances and difficult issues. (Gardner, The unschooled mind: How children think and how schools should teach 1991)

This perspective emphasizes learning how to learn through higherlevel thinking. Music is an excellent route to this goal and provides unique ways of knowing unavailable through other disciplines. It has been suggested that music is the most direct route to thinking, because it requires neither words nor symbols to be perceived. (Snyder 1997)

Therefore, music plays an exceptionally important role in every individuals life as it shapes ones way of thinking. It ensures that the brain is fully operational and not having certain components being left out. Competency in music is inherent in everybody. It is the culture and environment of a person that determines whether we utilize it.

It is advised to introduce music education at a young age as it is an indispensable element of a comprehensive education. However, this notion is not universally communal. Snyder (1997) reveals that parents and educators who do not posses the musical experience may not realize the significance of

early exposure to music education or may even feel uncomfortable and incompetent to pursue into musical activities. As a result, decision makers often diminish the value of music education, ignorant about the advantages for the students, teachers and the learning population.

This paper will be covering the definition of intelligence and what is it consist of, how musical ability is inherent in every individual, the importance of music education at a young age and the need for exposure young children to music.

Literature Review

Intelligence is defined as the capacity to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural setting" (Gardner and Hatch 1989). Gardner

devised a total of seven types of intelligence found in an individual via cultural and biological analysis; as opposed to the orthodox two which are verbal intelligence and computational intelligence. The seven intelligences conceived by Gardner are Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Linguistic Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence,

Musical Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence and Personal Intelligences which can be broken down to interpersonal feelings and intentions of others as well as intrapersonal intelligence (which is the ability to understand ones own feelings and motivations.

Neurobiologica; research indicates that learning is an outcome of the modifications in the synaptic connections between cells. Primary elements of different types of learning are found in areasof the brain where corresponding transformations have occurred. Thus various

types of learning results in synaptic connections in different areas of the brain. (Brualdi 1996)

Further more, Gardner contends that culture affects the growth of the various intelligences. As the importance shown to the various intelligences defers across the cultures, they have a higher regard in executing specific jobs and become experts in those sectors. As a result, although people of the same culture may have a certain intelligence extremely advanced, it might not be as evolved in another culture.

Blacking (1971) also stated that all homosapiens own the competency for musical proficiency that is equivalent to our aptitude for language. Only the opportunities that the various people got to expand their musical skills changes.

In the same way that an enriched environment can promote the development of linguistic competence, a musically enriched

environment can promote the development of liguistic competence, a musically enriched environment may promote the development of musical skills. This process can begin in the womb (Lecanuet, 1996; Standley, 1998).

In addition to that, musical behavior is not inevitably interconnected to other facets of cognitive evolution like language, or to prevalent physical impairment (Welch 1998). Musical behavior is an exclusive yet universal human characteristic, a single precise and unique form of cognitive functioning (Gardner, Frames of Mind 1983, O'Neill 1996) which, may be perceived at a really early infant stage (Howe, et al. 1995, Papousek 1996, Reis 1987).

Finnegan documents in her ethnographic review of local music in Milton Keynes, a contemporary English, the importance of the family in relentlessly advocating the mellifluous avenue, which gets consecutive generations, grounded in the presiding musical culture (Finnegan 1989). This view is also shared by another auther who says:

Whatever the musical genre classical, rock, or jazz childrens successful engagement with that music depends more on parental interest than social or economic background. (Welch 1998)

The myriad of research data available at the moment, for instance, on the musical importance of the fetal sound milieu and of how the fetus answers to musical stimulant are excellent evidences. (Abrams and Gerhardt 1997; Lecanuet, 1996). The human auditory system is reasonably blossomed during the period between twentieth and thirtieth weeks of fetal life to respond to outer environmental sound stimulant. Amidst those outer sounds, those in attendance in a mothers everyday surroundings are the most notable ones, including music and the mothers voice in both speech and song. The auditory reply of the unborn baby can enhance knowledge, which in due course dominates the post birth bearing (Lecanuet 1996).

For instance, observations have shown that newborn children between the ages of two to five days alter their sucking actions, which is a demonstration of extended attentiveness, when introduced to the maternal culture describes the music listened by the mother during her pregnancy period as opposed to other cultures music (Woodward, et al. 1996)

The babys musical intelectuality carries on getting moulded and nurtured, even after birth, through direct interaction with the sound environment. Specifically, early

vocalization has impacts on both linguistic and musical advancement. This is achieved through the incorporation of musical fundamentals by parents to support the acquisition of speech in infants (Papousek 1996, p.50). The research data points out the universality of parental behavior in proposing vocal sounds to babies, constantly motivating and recompensing their toddlers vocal imitation and regulating parental interventions on a moment-by-moment (Welch 1998).

The musical tendencies of a child as he grows up are heavily influenced by an intricate interplay between his overall cognitive potential, an inherent human ability for music and specific events in his external surroundings, which can all affect the extent of these tendencies and allow such potential to be realized as shown in figure 1. Ensuing accomplishment in the foremost cultural forms of musical performance can be discerned in retrospect to adopt a developmental path, which is distinctive to every person, that comprises a particular continuity and nonarbitrary progression of experiences (Howe, et al. 1995, p.51).

When an adoloscent has ample interactive incidents and moments with regards to whichever intelligence, numerous neurons relocte to the associated spheres of the brain and create a responsive and highly operative receiver and transmitter for information of that nature. When there are insufficient experiences, those neurons predisposed to any particular area will either transfer to another region of the brain , or die (Snyder 1997). Thus, the development of that particular intelligence ceases.

Neuron placement takes place for all intelligences according to experiences. Specific regions are set aside for music, and many neurons are liable to music. As soon as adolescents have encounters with music, those region will be filled with an

abundance of neurons that cultivates long connectors. These connectors will establish strong links with the other regions of the brain. Clusters of neurons fight to

seize more cells for their cluster, which results in them growing stronger as they are more prone to be used. The brain develops according to what is valuable and adaptive to the surrounding in which a child matures (Snyder 1997).

Gardner (Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences 10th anniversary ed 1993) affirms ardently that all student has a right to have each of the seven intelligences cultivated equally in each school day, and "to withhold artistic means of understanding is as much of a malpractice as to withhold mathematics." Snyder (1997) states that parents and schools often leave out the musical intelligence component and focus on the rest. In actual fact, students belonging to Multiple

Intelligence (MI) schools are attaining considerably higher grades on mastery tests in non-arts disciplines as compared their peers. According to the Educational Testing Service (19901994), year on year, students engaged in music and the arts attain an average of 30 to 50 points higher in SATs (Snyder 1997).

New York City, is an excellent example of the outcome of eradicating music from a school curriculum. Renowned for its extensive history of schools without music in their curriculum, it began eradicating arts programs (together with music) between 20 and 15 years ago. Currently, there are only a few public schools with some music education, regardless of quality. The result of these actions are manifesting among the matured fraction of the population that had to discover other means to release their emotions which often are aggressive and detrimental. The value of life has been constantly diminishing, as well as ones perceived self value, which resulted in the obliteration of family and misplaced sense of community and led on the offsprings of those deprived adults forming gangs today. School programs are deemed irrelevant by students and they abandon their education.With regards to those remaining students, their systematized test scores fall below the national average. The opening to higherlevel thinking has been sealed (Snyder 1997).

Conclusion

Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligence presents a hypothetical foundation for comprehending the diverse abilities and talents of students. This theory recognizes that while every student may not necessarily be well versed in linguistics or be mathematically gifted, kids may have a proficiency in other fields such as spatial relations, interpersonal knowledge or music. Approaching and evaluating education in such manner assents a broader scope of students to effectively take part in classroom learning (Brualdi 1996).

The manifestation of musical behavior at any given age, including childhood, is dependent on a wide range of factors, embracing basic biological potential, maturation, experience, opportunity, interest, education, family, peers, and socio cultural context. (Welch 1998) However, parental support and their influence on the child plays a substantial role his or herpersonal development of musical intelligence.

Even though development may be quicker or longer for various individuals, there is adequate proof to propose that, with the right assistance and provision, all adolescents can attain a level of competency in the modern musical language of the maternal culture.

Healy (1991) notes that the time spent watching television is subverting the standard development of music and the other areas of the brain, just by stealing away time from communicating with others and intereacting with the surrounding. As a result, the short span of concentration, decline in motor coordination and the

underdeveloped linguistic abilities are promptly identified by teachers who couldnt

speculate the reason for the present time children being less academically-oriented as compared to those a few years earlier.

There are numerous facts illustrate the importance of the arts, especially music, for human maturation and natural development. Be that as it may, it is indeed astonishing that a number of educators and parents still consider them as embellishments or add-ons. As much as the information may be in existence, it does not essentially mean it will be utilized to revive or create significant programs. Nevertheless, by becoming a proactive proponent of music and arts programs and through distinctive and constant correspondence of this matter, it can be achieved.

ANNEX Figure 1: the ontogenesis of musical behavior

References

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