The Mozart Effect: Practicing Sentence Grammar
The effects of Mozart and other classical music on intelligence have been popularized in recent years and are widely misunderstood. However, there is some credibility to the effect of Mozart on intelligence.
The Original Experiment
In 1993, Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky performed an experiment on a group of college students. Their results were published in Nature. To read about Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky's 1993 Experiment, click here.
In summary, the effect was only observed for a specific situation:
•It affects Space-Time reasoning causing an increase in IQ
•It affect college students •The music must be listened to before the effect
•It only lasts for 15 minutes at a time
•It has only been documented with 3 songs, one of which is Mozart's Piano Concerto 23
For a free version of Mozart's Piano Concerto #23 Click here.
Other Benefits
Behavioral psychology suggests specific signals can help our brain to perform functions. If we can teach our brain to associate Mozart with practicing sentence grammar, it may help us to focus on that task.
Another benefit of Mozart's music is what psychologists call "enjoyment arousal." When we experience something enjoyable, it often increases our performance in other tasks.
Applications to English Learning
English sentence grammar carries a lot of time information. The arrangement of verbs in a specific order tells us specific time-related information. This type of problem has proven extremely difficult for many English learners.
While it has not been scientifically tested, this type of reasoning matches the profile described by Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky.
To get the best effects from Mozart's music:
1.Listen to Mozart's Piano Concerto 23 while preparing to study sentence grammar
2.Stop the music right before you start
3.Write sentences for 15 minutes
4.Take a 5 minute break and listen to Mozart again
5.Repeat the process