Category: Music

If you are one of those people who believes that you are tone deaf then perhaps it is time to change your beliefs. New research into musically ‘talented’ people claims that their talents are a result of practice. So far, so dull.

What Oliver James doesn’t address in his article is the most important question which many psychologists are asking now: how much is practice and how much is talent? Now there’s a question that’s worth answering.

> From The Observer

Here is a longer post than normal which highlights the importance of reading the actual study rather than just the news report.

First a quote from the report: “The idea that studying music improves the intellect is not a new one, but at last there is incontrovertible evidence from a study conducted out of the University of Toronto.”

And here is what the study says in it’s conclusion: “The findings indicate that music lessons cause small increases in IQ, but comparable nonmusical activities do not have similar consequences.” and continues: “It is well established that simple attendance at school raises IQ (Ceci & Williams, 1997), and that school instruction is particularly effective when classes are small (Ehrenberg, Brewer, Gamoran, & Wilms, 2001). Music lessons, taught individually or in small groups, may provide additional boosts in IQ because they are like school but still enjoyable. Moreover, music lessons involve a multiplicity of experiences that could generate improvement in a wide range of abilities. From this perspective, extracurricular activities (other than drama lessons) with similar properties (e.g., chess lessons, programs in science or reading) may confer similar benefits.”