The Incredible Learning Power of Music

Steve Snodgrass

A great way to improve learning at every age is through the magic of music. You see, certain kinds of music can actually stimulate your child’s higher cognitive functioning and help their development. 

In a phenomenon known as the "Mozart effect", listening to music creates a positive emotional response which, in turn, improves cognitive functioning. Research tells us that listening to certain classics, like Mozart, helps to improve spatial-temporal reasoning in the short term. If Mozart isn’t your cup of tea, you have many other options to choose from. Any kind of baroque music like Teleman or Vivaldi and ambient music that has a tempo of 60 beats per second will help.

Later studies showed that any music with an energetic beat or positive emotional qualities had the potential to stimulate the spatial-temporal functioning.

This is the part of the brain that helps you to understand complex concepts or solve difficult problems. For example, a study by Rauscher, Shaw and Ky (1993) discovered that those subjects who listened to Mozart prior to completing an IQ test scored higher than those who did not listen to music.

Another study in rats found that pregnant rats exposed to Mozart produced offspring that were better at maze learning.

While these changes are temporary, learning music from an early age can have tangible, long-lasting improvements in brain functioning: “It’s very clear from a number of experiments that if you do musical training, you find changes in brain structures attributable to that training. There are experiments that show that changes are greater if you begin musical training by about the age of seven. They’re still there if you begin later, but smaller in magnitude,” says neuropsychologist Robert Zatorre from McGill University.

Neuroscientists from Boston Children’s Hospital found a link between the introduction of musical instruments at an early age and improved cognitive functioning. "Since executive functioning is a strong predictor of academic achievement, even more than IQ, we think our findings have strong educational implications.While many schools are cutting music programs and spending more and more time on test preparation, our findings suggest that musical training may actually help to set up children for a better academic future,” said head researcher, Nadine Gaab.

The greatest impact of music on cognitive functioning occurs when music is introduced before the child turns seven as it creates more extensive connectivity between different parts of the brain and also improves the ability to integrate sensory input.

If your child finds music distracting, try ambient sounds such as whale songs, waterfalls, ocean waves and other natural sounds. Eno's "Music for airports" is specifically designed to relax and calm tired travellers in airports. Eno's background music heightens your mood and occupies those parts of your brain that may cause distractions while you are studying.

Best Tips for Choosing a Tutor

US Department of Education

If your child is struggling a little to keep up, or if you want to give them a boost to get to the head of the class, summer tutoring will not only give them the help they need, it also prevents the summer slide. During the summer, students can lose up to 30% of the math and reading gains they made over the previous year. Just a couple of hours a week can really make a difference, but how do you go about choosing a tutor that will really make a difference.

Learning Centers

There are many options to choose from, the first being a learning center. Here your child will attend a session in a classroom setting with other children. There are usually fewer children than in a school class and these options can be much cheaper.

There are drawbacks though as you have to drive your children there and then pick them up again. More importantly, a classroom setting is obviously not ideal for them, especially if they are struggling at school. They don’t get as much attention as they need and they may not be asking questions or speaking up when they don’t understand something for fear of being embarrassed.

Private Tutors

This is a good option if you want the tutor to come to your home or if you are looking for someone who lives in your area. They are usually cheaper than tutors from tutoring companies and are more flexible than learning centers.

Private tutors aren’t vetted so you don’t know if they are qualified or safe to have around your family. They may not be available when you need them and they can be unreliable too.

Tutor Doctor Tutors

We come to you home, at a time that is convenient for you, and teach your children in the comfort of your home. Our one-on-one tutors are vetted and have the experience they need to help your child.

The process starts with a free education consultation which will assess the needs and abilities of your child. We then search for the perfect tutor to suit your child’s needs and personality in a process we call the ‘magic match’.

Once your tutor has been found, they work with your child’s teacher to establish where they require assistance and how best to help. They don’t pile on more work, but work with your child’s curriculum and homework to find the missing building blocks and fill them in.

For most students, it’s their learning skills that need honing. That means that they need to work on their executive skills like organization, task initiation, concentration and memory, task prioritization etc. so that they can become accomplished independent learners.

Under our Academic Game Plan, we teach your child the executive skills they need to succeed in learning and in life. We help your child to set goals and then give them the individual attention they need to reach them.

Our caring tutors are there when your child needs them most and we even have a TD 24x7 online curriculum tool to help your child when they are studying for tests and exams.

After every session, your tutor will give you feedback on your child’s progress so you are always in the loop. Simply put; the Tutor Doctor difference is that we really care and are invested in seeing your children succeed.