LearnJazzPiano.com archives: classical=intellegence?
shrock -- 07/05/2005, 18:19:17 -- #16183
Does anyone think its true when you study classical music, You will become smarter and also raise your IQ?  I feel that its true. What do you guys think

Scot -- 07/05/2005, 19:18:51 -- #16184
Well, we need to broaden that picture.  Any activity that requires the use of both sides of your brain will physicall cause more connective tissue to grow between them, and the amount of connective tissue between the two halves of the brain has  been linked in part to IQ, problem solving, and other higher functions of the intellect.

Raising your IQ gives you more potential to be smarter and in enhancing your innate problem solving ability, you will be able to progress in any endeavor more quickly than if you have a lower IQ and potentially less ability at problem solving.

Piano and many other instruments will help in this area. It doesn't have to be classical music, but it does have to be written music because that will  force the two halves of the brain to do their thing- reading the music while using your fingers to play it is good for your mind both physically and mentally.

Mike -- 07/05/2005, 23:20:52 -- #16191
That comes from the study of piano.  Any piano music, it is not specific to classical music.  The activity of endeavoring to play the piano simply exercises more parts of the brain than any other known human activity.  Pianists therefore actually grow more grey matter of the brain.  Pianists also can expect to live longer simply by the fact that their brains are in better shape.  Many people especially as they get older stop exercising thier brains.  But again it has absolutely nothing to do with Classical music.

·Jesus -- 07/06/2005, 01:46:15 -- #16193
I've heard that the brain is like muscles, if you make it work it will keep on developing. If not, it will be going backwards.
You can make it work with lots of things and learning/playing piano is one of them, I don't know if a specially qualified one. The same with classical or non-classical.
I like that idea of living longer by exercising my brains. But I should give up smoking asap.

sid -- 07/06/2005, 02:52:27 -- #16195
I haven't noticed that my classical music chums are any brighter than the jazzers, or than the non-musicians of my acquaintance for that matter.  In fact, now I come to think of it, many of the musicians that come to mind can only eat with a spoon.  Probably the best way to keep the head up to the mark is to peel yourself off that velcro seat and get moving now and then, avoid reality TV shows and don't read "The da Vinci Code".

sid

SolArt -- 07/06/2005, 03:29:38 -- #16197
How come so many famous pianists/composers etc died so young?

jazz jasper -- 07/06/2005, 04:01:24 -- #16200
Depends who you mean, classical composers died young because of the ammount of traveling they did and the harsh weather and diseases they were exposed to and also the lack of medical help in those days, and jazzers tended to smoked alot or get involved with drugs etc...

Kai -- 07/06/2005, 05:33:18 -- #16202
Sid, please explain why not read The Da Vinci Code. Is it Fibonacci or religion, or the Holy Grail lihk?

sid -- 07/06/2005, 06:18:57 -- #16205
It's more because it's suppurating hogswiddle.  But that's just my opinion.  There again, who's got more money - Brown or me?

CynBad -- 07/06/2005, 08:06:33 -- #16214
Studying MUSIC, period, can make you smarter.
That's why it's a good idea to get music lessons for your kids.

7 -- 07/06/2005, 08:47:03 -- #16216
I've always felt that the reason music students do better in school is not because of the music itself or the brain exercise.

I believe that it creates the ability the recognize patterns. This "pattern recognition" consequently can  be expanded to all areas of life: mathematics, traffic, scenery, architecture, interpersonl relations, etc, etc, et.

Being able to recognize the patterns all around us make it easier to objectify reality and assimilate knowledge by basing new concepts on related concepts.

Instead of learning and trying to understand the world by virtual "rote memorization".

So, that it doesn't make us smarter per se, but better equipped to "grok".

shrock -- 07/06/2005, 10:09:13 -- #16221
Reading books excersises your brain as well.

Dr. Whack -- 07/06/2005, 10:26:39 -- #16224
I've read that studying and playing music develops and broadens spatial learning (whatever that is:)  I had a young student with a learning disabilty for a while.  I could show her a note and 15 seconds later she would forget it.  However, after many repetitions she could actually play musically.  With a steady practice schedule  started learning the notes. The cool part is she started making good grades at school!

That was better than any paycheck I ever got:)

SolArt -- 07/06/2005, 15:27:35 -- #16229
I think also a factor is that music is an art, it is simply very rewarding, & when you learn to play a piece at your lesson, it is also hopefully one you like. It relaxes you. (If you've done your practice!) You associate memories with it. It gives you extraneous thoughts, such as the sun shining on a creek for example. Sometimes when I play Mozart it makes me think of my mother very strongly.

Mike -- 07/06/2005, 23:23:11 -- #16242
Whacky.... Spatial means you have a wide gap between your two front teeth....
hope this helps.

Barry -- 07/07/2005, 05:52:41 -- #16246
Or, in Whacky's case it's a large gap between the ears... ;-)

SolArt -- 07/07/2005, 06:36:04 -- #16247
flap ears!

Dr. Whack -- 07/07/2005, 07:30:37 -- #16250
Well, I post one pic of myself and everyone makes fun of me!!:)

7 -- 07/07/2005, 08:16:51 -- #16252
This woman brought her daughter to me to learn flute.

She specifically told me that the reason she was making her daughter learn the instrument was because she was doing poorly in math.

The girl was actually quite intelligent and had a great sense of humor. Anything I showed her, she could do. Trouble was she really didn't WANT to.

One day her mother announced that the kid was getting better grades in math and so therefore they were stopping the lessons.

AND THEN THE GIRL GAVE ME THE FLUTE! It's a $900 Yamaha.

I really needed a good flute, bevause my Bundy was just plain getting old. Providence, I guess.

Scot -- 07/07/2005, 09:06:15 -- #16253
Regardless of everyone's opinion, activities that exercise the communication between both halves of the brain do increase IQ and problem solving ability, and these two attributes generally define whether a person is going to be "smart" or not.

It has been shown, as Mike said, that playing piano, especially if it involves reading music, is one of the very best exercises that a person can do for their mind.

7 -- 07/08/2005, 09:43:04 -- #16287
Someone once said that intelligence is measured by a person's ability to perceive patterns in life.

- Hal Galper

http://www.halgalper.com/13_arti/fwdmot1.html

SolArt -- 07/08/2005, 11:19:22 -- #16292
7, I'm surprised the mother didn't say anything about the flute!     Maybe she's not hip to it yet...

Guillaume_Haydn -- 07/08/2005, 22:22:26 -- #16305
Hi everybody,
they say that studying music establishes physical connections between the two halfs of the brain. That will help with any activity then.
Bill Evans used to sight-read Bach to mentally stay in shape. Since Joseph Haydn's house is  next to mine, I'm doing it with his music.
Of course sight-reading Real Book Sheets will do just as well - it might be even more demanding to read complex symbols like Cb 13/b9/#11 than classical triad inversions in notes.

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