We have long known the ability of classical music to provide pleasure and arouse deep emotions. Without a doubt, music has a powerful impact on the brain. Studies have shown that classical music can also help children with special needs through a variety of significant improvements including stress reduction, increased IQ, and improved ability to concentrate. Also, music can make children feel more positive and enhance their creative thinking. The bottom line is that classical music can make a big difference in the lives of people with disorders like autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADD and ADHD, and mental retardation.

The Mozart effect and the power of music

The term “The Mozart Effect” has become widespread, as there are now a variety of products including everything from CDs to toys that use Mozart’s music to enhance a person’s ability to perform mental tasks. A wide variety of experts theorize that listening to Mozart can also increase intelligence. Don Campbell, who wrote The Mozart Effect: Harnessing the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit, has stated that the Mozart Effect is “an inclusive term signifying the transformative powers of music in the health, education and welfare.

An issue of Nature Journal in 1993 published remarkable findings from studies at the University of California at Irvine. In one study, one group of students listened to Mozart while a second group listened to a tape with suggestions for relaxation. A third test group only had 10 minutes of silence. When these students were given a spatial IQ test, those who listened to Mozart showed significantly higher spatial IQ.

Some scientists speculate that complicated sounds like classical music trigger firing patterns in the cerebral cortex. Studies have also shown that even people with Alzheimer’s disease perform better on spatial IQ tests after listening to Mozart. One of the reasons classical music is so powerful in contrast to other forms of music is that it has sequences that repeat throughout a piece of music. Often these sequences appear every 20 or 30 seconds. Due to the fact that brain wave patterns also take place in 30-second cycles, this type of music can provide the most powerful type of response.

The Mozart effect has very real implications for people with learning disabilities. Listening to classical music will not only increase IQ, but also help children to concentrate better and memorize new information. When a child listens to classical music, she can create the ideal conditions for learning and creativity.

A further boost to the implications of classical music’s positive impact on learning and the brain occurred in 1998 when Georgia Governor Zell Miller included more than $100,000 annually in the state budget for classical music tapes and CDs for all. children born in Georgia. . He was convinced to take this bold step due to various studies that listening to classical music stimulates intelligence.

music therapy

Classical music can have a positive impact on everything from emotional development to motor skills and cognitive functioning. There is a whole field of psychology called music therapy in which therapists improve the health of their clients through the use of music. Professionals such as teachers, doctors, and psychologists regularly refer children for music therapy. Music therapists can even help rehabilitate people who have suffered strokes through the power of music.

Children with learning disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and autism may benefit from music therapy as it will help them feel calm and less impulsive. Also, many children will feel more comfortable talking about their feelings when they are exposed to music. At this point, therapists can help children work through their frustrations and help them build self-esteem.

Entertainment and Music

One thing that many children with learning disorders have in common is that they are easily distracted. Different noises can divert your attention from a task at hand. However, when classical music is used therapeutically, it changes the way the ear works and stimulates the brain.

Children with a variety of learning disorders, including autism, are experiencing positive results with Tomatis listening therapy. During therapy sessions, classical music is sent to the right ear and the sound is also vibrated through the bones of the body. One of the goals of this therapy is to synchronize the ears and rebalance the system. The philosophy behind this treatment is that it can allow its recipients to start performing to the best of their ability.

Many children have also improved their ADHD conditions by learning to play a musical instrument. The act of practicing playing classical music and listening to it at the same time can teach children to lengthen their attention span.

The calming ability of music

When children with special needs listen to classical music, it provides them with a positive and relaxing experience. Surprisingly, classical music can also reduce stress and ease frustrations. Also, it can reduce muscle tension and slow down the heart rate. When these changes occur, the mind is more open to learning and also to communication with others.

A study conducted at Baltimore St Agnes Health Care by Raymond Bahr, MD, showed that when doctors played classical music for their heart patients, it had the same impact as a 10mg dose of Valium! The implications of this study for people with special needs are clear. When children with autism, cerebral palsy, ADD, ADHD, and mental retardation are able to relax and calm down, dramatic changes in their behavior become possible.