The Effects of Music on Moods

The effect of music on moods, behaviors and emotion can be seen historically within both individuals and groups. Gaston (1968) acknowledges that the musicale lays on a continuum ranging from stimulating to calming. The type of music listened to has a huge impact on the reaction it produces. It has been proven that background music has significantly improved reading comprehension scores on the Nelson Silent Reading Test (Hall 1952). It was also determined through the same study that music also provides a great assistance with the morning settling down periods and after lunch fatigue. It was noted, however, that students who tested as below average on both achievement and intelligence scales benefited more from background music than those who tested as above average (Hall 1952).

An experiment by Hallam and Price studied the effects of background music on the behavior and performance in math within ten children within the ages of nine and ten with emotional and behavioral difficulties not due to brain injuries, who attended a self-contained, off-site school specific to these problems. All had IQs within the average limits. By first observing the group, it was concluded that among the ten there was a high frequency of disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior was defined as tantrums, crying, destructive behavior, overt physical aggression, and general over-activity.

The children were asked to sit silently and complete as many math problems correctly as possible within a given time. If they needed assistance they were told to silently raise their hands and speak only when given the permission to. Children were reminded of the rules at regular intervals and were given verbal reminders upon rule breaking. If a student came entirely disruptive to the rest of the group they were asked to leave the classroom. These conditions were applied to trials where music was and was not present.

They type of music selected to be played was based on the previous research by Giles (1991). From a selection of music labeled as calming by Giles, the researches played sixty to ninety second clips for a panel of twenty-six students attending the same school. The students were asked to select one of two option in three categories: happy/sad, calming/exciting, and like/dislike. The individual pieces that the majority of the student panel reported as calming was included in the study.

The study found that while music was being played did positively affect the students' behavior, although the extent of which varied from student to student. It seemed that students who displayed symptoms of hyperactive disorder (ADHD) were mostly affected by it. It did not change their disruptive behavior, but students seemed to talk and do their work, rather than talk instead of doing their work. Students with more severe emotional problems, such as students who come from emotional, and physical abuse, separation and loss, were not as affected by background music. The researches acknowledge the fact that and behavior change may be due to the reduction of distractions in the classroom as the other students were concentrating more intensely (Hallam and Price 1998).

REFERENCES

Gaston, E.T. (ed.) (1968) Music in Therapy. New York: MacMillian

Giles, M. (1991) 'A little background music, please'. Principal. November, 41-44

Hall, J.(1952) ' the effect of background music on the reading comprehension of 278

eighth and ninth grade students', Journal of Educational Research.45, 451-458

Hallam, S. & Price,J. (1998) 'Can the use of background music improve the behavior and academic performance of children with emotional and behavioral difficulties?', British Journal of Special Education. June (25)2