Nursery World - A sound start

Never mind music's effect on the brain - its value to young children is in providing a shared experience and developing personal skills, as Susan Young explains Recent years have seen a lot of interest in how music might contribute to children's overall development, such as the supposed influence on the brain from listening to Mozart.

Recent years have seen a lot of interest in how music might contribute to children's overall development, such as the supposed influence on the brain from listening to Mozart.

But there has also been a temptation to overstate the case, arising from very slim scientific evidence. The original Mozart listening experiment was carried out with university students, and its benefits for the students' ability to do a kind of puzzle were short-lived. Yet this one small finding has spawned a whole industry of books, CDs and internet sites based on what has become known as the Mozart Effect.

Similar effects on babies and young children have never been demonstrated by research. Nevertheless, there are obvious commercial gains to be made from convincing parents that their child can get a head start if they buy 'smarter baby' CDs.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included