Music Makes You Smarter: the Advantage of Music Lessons

This is an interesting study on how Music Makes You Smarter. Check it out!

Transcript: 

Music Makes You Smarter

Even if you don't always notice it, music is all around us - from the stereo in your car to the music piped in at the supermarket. Studies show that music has a wide array of benefits to your health. Whether you're listening or, better yet, playing, music can have a great impact on your mind. 

The average person listens to 25 songs a day and 1/2 of people play or have played an instrument.

All That Music Is Good for Students

53% of students ages 12-17 listen to music while studying. 

Studies show: 

Listening to a Mozart sonata can increase your IQ up to 9 points for 15 minutes.

Studying with Baroque compositions at 60 bpm helps most students to: 

• Study longer
• Retain more

And high-anxiety students on average score 12% higher on math exams while listening to music. 

Corporations use it, too:

Companies including Shell, IBM, and Dupont use music to help train new employees 2x faster. 

Want to Boost Your IQ? Try Playing an Instrument. 

The College Board reports that on the SAT: 

• Music Performance students scored 51 points higher on the verbal section and 39 points higher on the math section. 
• Music Appreciation students scored 61 points higher on the verbal section and 42 points higher on the math section. 

So maybe it's not surprising that music majors are the highest percentage of accepted medical students at 66%. Students who played an instrument for just 8 months showed a 46% increase in their spatial IQ. Spatial IQ is directly tied to the ability to memorize things. 

And in younger children, studies show that music can increase: 

• Attention span
• Fine motor skills
• Memorization skills

In the long run, students who played music reported the lowest lifetime use of drugs and alcohol. 

But Not All Music Is Created Equal

A CalTech study examined the relationship between musical styles, bands, and the SAT scores of the people who listened to them. 

The most commonly listened to music styles were: 

• Rock
• Pop
• Country

Those listeners tested in the average range: Between 1000 - 1100. 

The highest scorers: Listened to Beethoven. And had an average score of 1371. 

The lowest scorers: Listened to Lil' Wayne. And had an average score of 889. 

Next time your brain needs a boost, try tuning into a little Mozart. Your test scores will thank you.