Episode 208: Senior Thesis 2024 - Belle

"Classically Intelligent: Using Classical Music to Aid in Children’s Brain Development" by Belle

Abstract: Everyone listens to music constantly–whether on the way to work, while taking a shower,
while whistling and walking through a store, music constantly surrounds us in our modern
culture. However, there is one genre of music that has timelessly surrounded the minds of
humans: instrumental classical music has influenced our processing since the 5th century BC.
Most people do not know the true weight that classical music carries through its soundwaves. It
has been scientifically proven that classical music can enhance the brainpower of humans
through neural pathways. However, classical music effects the minds of children in the most
impactful way.
The minds of children are similar to sponges. They are designed to soak in all
information thrown their way through sound waves. So, when a young child listens to classical
music, it can have a lasting effect on their mind. But how does this effect even work? This has
been crowned the name “The Mozart Effect” because Mozart’s classics, more than any other
classical music, has been studied and dissected. It has been discovered that Mozart wrote his
classics in a specific mathematical way, resulting in this sound wave process, and studies show
that classical music has this beautiful and lasting effect.
This is why parents should integrate classical music into their children’s daily lives in
order to enhance the processing power of their brains, therefore increasing the quality of their
adult lives.
There are 3 key ways that parents can put their children in this said environment:

1. Through playing an instrument. Whether it be guitar, violin, or piano, playing an instrument can prompt and awaken neural pathways in the mind, therefore helping the child in the most beneficial way to gain these pathways.
2. By simply listening to it. Parents can easily integrate classical music into their children’s daily lives. Whether it be while they are playing outside, doing homework, or sleeping, parents should play classical music in the background of their child’s life.
3. Through music therapy. This can both assist children’s mental state and expand their minds, and is overall a great and natural tool. Overall, classical music has been crafted with these benefits, and parents should use it as a tool to assist their child to expand their mind not only for now, but for their future.

This podcast features music by Wyatt Darnell, alumni of The River Academy. If you want more information about his music, or about anything else we've discussed here, email us at [email protected]

Subscribe: Spotify | Stitcher
Follow: Facebook
Learn More: https://www.theriveracademy.org/