Can Listening to Music Make Your Baby Smarter?

Over the years, there has been much conjecture over the subject of music and babies. Some physicians and psychiatrists recommend having babies listen to classical music every day. Some even recommend it while the baby is still in the womb. Many parents are naturally curious and ask themselves and others if listening to music can really make a baby smarter.

I am one of those parents that has always been interested in the subject of providing music for babies to listen to for the potential learning benefits. From the time I knew I was pregnant, my children have always been exposed to music. They are intelligent kids (don't all parents say that) and I can't, of course say for certain it has been due to musical exposure. But, it's possible listening to music as a baby may have helped the learning process.

According to a 2004 news article in the San Diego Tribune, researchers still have some studying to do on that. Those who think with a practical mind may look at stories like that of Irene Sun and decide music is the answer. She says "The experience of being 7 and playing piano every day - no matter what - was incredible, because that's what I built off of in school, in science, in everything."

Sun was attending Harvard and majoring in science and history at the time the Tribune article was written. According to the San Diego Tribune article, scientists and researchers seem to agree that the connection between music and subjects like science and math is stronger when the subject not only listens to music, but plays an instrument as well.

A 2005 study, published on National Geographic, involving babies, shows that they use rhythms to adapt to their culture. Sandra Trehub is a psychologist at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, the co-author of this study, as well as co-author of a previous study that showed how 6 month old babies were better at recognizing complex rhythms than adults were.

She says "In the most recent study, by 12 months of age babies are showing signs of tuning to the music of their culture. The older they get, the more difficulty they will have with sound systems of a foreign language to the extent that it conflicts with something in the sound of their own language." Trehub suggests the reason for this is that the babies are adapting to their own culture."

It has been previously thought that musical benefits for a baby would lie in listening to classical music. However, in a 2006 study published on Science Daily, listening to any music that is enjoyed can be good for cognition. In our home, we listen to a variety of musical genres. On any given day, we might listen to Native American music, reggae, oldies, children's Bible songs, and more.

It seems that music may enhance memory as well, based on the above research. Considering all of the research above, it is possible to come to a conclusion that there could very well be benefits to playing music for your baby. Will listening to music make your baby smarter? Perhaps it will help. Will it hurt to try? Pretty unlikely.

Sources:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040630/news_1c30music.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0920_050920_babymusic.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060622172738.htm