Mozart and His Little Effect.

This is another essay I have to write for my English Course hope you like it. As usual feedback is appreciated

After many years of research, psychologist Dr. Rausher and neurologist Dr. Shaw revealed to the unsuspecting world that Mozart’s music had positive effects on children, teenagers, and adults. Mozart’s Music is perfect for its phrases, periods, and movements result in balanced, nimble, and crystal-clear pieces which are recognized throughout the world; for instance, his Sonata for piano #24 and his Lacrimosa in his unfinished Requiem. These pieces, with their melodies, harmonies and counterpoints, significantly improve children’s motor skills and help them focus on their studies for a short period of time. Mozart left us with a beautiful legacy from which the human mind can benefit thanks to its perfect harmonies, logic, and genius.

“The Magic Flute,” “Don Giovanni,” “Cosí fan tutte” and “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” are examples of the prodigy that was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Whether improvising on the harpsichord or on the violin at the tender age of eight, Mozart wrote his first work of art- a symphony; when his father saw this, he dedicated his life to teaching his son music. Mozart played concerts through London and Europe when he was fifteen years old; powerful, humble, mesmerizing, and beautiful were his melodies that the great composers and musicians of the era called him a prodigy. Consequently, the critics craved for more and even though Mozart’s genius gave us pieces such as “Ave Verum Corpus,” one of his most recognized choral pieces; unfortunately, he died at age thirty-five when he was just finishing his Requiem, the Mass for the Dead. But what is this Mozart Effect people are talking about?

In 1993 in the University of California some human test subjects, 36 high school students, became part of the Mozart Effect experiment, in which after the heard Mozart’s Sonatas these students were given a standardized test. The result of this test showed an increase in the temporal spatial levels among other results. Dr. Tomatis, in 1997, wrote that whether or not his patients liked Mozart’s music, they were more relaxed and made them express themselves more easily and openly to him; thus his conclusion was that Mozart’s music has the ability to heal the patient’s heart and clear their brain. As a result of both Shaw’s and Tomatis publication, The Mozart Effect gained worldwide attention in a matter of minutes, for many teachers, professors, and parents adapted said effect onto their students and children respectively. This effect is lasts in periods of five to ten minutes.

The Mozart Effect on children is highly effective, especially with those students from kindergarten to third grade. My sister, a Second grade teacher, did a little experiment where she gave the first test of the semester with a “normal” ambiance (without music) and her students received average grades; however, on the second test she administrated a math test where the students heard Mozart’s Piano Sonata #21, the students who got a C or C+ on their first test received a B, B+, or A on their second test. From that day on my sister, Mrs. Clavell, administers all of her tests with classical music. Parents and teachers alike misunderstand the concept of the Mozart Effect, for they believe that if they don’t have Mozart’s music, the effect won’t work and they are sadly mistaken; for example, you can use Beethoven, Vivaldi, or Pachelbel’s Canon and still observe the same results. Children, who are exposed to this kind of music, as commented before, improve their IQ, focus, and motor skills.

The Mozart Effect is an area that unites pedagogy, parenting, music, and psychology. Mozart is one of the greatest composers of our time, for his nimble, humble, and mesmerizing melodies that captivate our hearts and clearly our brains. Mozart and his effect clearly has had a positive impact on us; hence the studies continue to grow and the testimonials of parents and teachers alike of how this effect works. So greatly is the impact of this effect that Disney has used this effect in marketing, with its most popular infant and toddler merchandise called “Baby Einstein.” These DVDs and CDs use classical music with colorful stories and toys to capture toddlers’ attention and with games they start to recognize musical patterns, rhythms, vowels, and words. Mozart shall live on in our lives and in many years to come, new scientists and musicologists will still try to unlock the mystery behind Mozart’s music.