The Mozart Effect
Online Resources on Music/Brain Research The buzzword, "Mozart Effect", has been bandied about by popular print and broadcast media. It is featured in parenting, education, and music oriented publications, and in the mainstream general press. While it has renewed interest in classical music education and focused much deserved attention on the general field of childhood development, the phrase (and the popular notion of its meaning) has been used to sell music lessons, music products of all kinds, including "Mozart Makes You Smarter" product lines, and frankly, some music education snake-oil.
What's behind this popular "concept"? Where did it originate? What does it really mean? Does listening to Mozart really make you smarter? If so, how? In what way? Is this claim real or just a hype? What to make of it all?
Here is a collection of links to promotional pieces and authoritative online resources that can provide some answers. While there is editorializing and there are commentaries found on this page and in the linked material dealing with the research surrounding the "Mozart Effect", ultimately, the reader is responsible for applying critical thinking to sort it all out.
The term "Mozart Effect" arose from the work of University of California at Irvine's formidable team, Dr. Francis Raucher, Dr. Gordon L. Shaw, and their colleagues. Their neuroscience/music studies and their findings have caused quite an impact on related fields and some controversy. After exploring the materials, linked here, whatever conclusions you come to, you will have to admit that this is very intriguing stuff.
Before exploring links to the materials appearing here, gain some valuable perpective on the subject by going to the link to the article, On the Importance of Being Accurate, published in The Music and Science Information Computer Archive, (MuSICA).
MuSICA's editor, N. M. Weinberger, shows insight that is nothing short of brilliant. A comprehensive catalogue of and links to MuSICA, found below in a separate section, contain abstracts that provide an overview of a wide range of neuroscience music/brain research, along with material dealing directly with the "Mozart Effect" and which could have been included in this section.
The purpose for assembling this collection of links to resources is to shine light on this subject and on research that has received much well-deserved attention, but has, too often, been trivialized and misrepresented. Bookmark this page to return for updates.