The "Mozart Effect" concept was created after the results of Rauscher's study suggested that those who listened to Mozart's "Sonata K448" for at least 10 minutes prior to a test scored better than those who did not. Those who had listened to the sonata showed better spatial-reasoning skills by scoring 8 to 9 points higher on their spatial IQ tests. However, it was revealed in later testing that it appeared the effects of the music were brief, with only positive increases in skills for about 10 to 15 minutes. As a result of the finding that the "Mozart Effect" may be short-lived, another study published in the "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine" was conducted to test longer term effects of music on learning, particularly in preschool age students. Children who were age 3 and 4 years old were instructed in keyboard lessons for half a year. By the end of the instruction, students were capable of performing some of Beethoven and Mozart's more simple work, namely melodies. After the six months of lessons, students were given spatial temporal reasoning tests appropriate for their age level. As compared with students who were given no specific instruction, or who received computer instruction for six months, the student who received music instruction scored 30 percent higher on the test, indicating that music does, indeed, have an effect on brain development and learning at a very early age.
Phonological awareness is most often defined as being able to both analyze and manipulate words and languages. Most often this is exhibited through the ability to rhyme or to blend words, but also to play with individual sounds in words. Schwarzer and Dege are among many who have studied the effect of music on phonological awareness. By isolating 41 preschoolers (22 of whom were boys) and placing them in three different instructional groups -- phonological instruction, musical instruction and sports instruction -- they intended to test the ability of music to improve students' phonological awareness. All students were pretested and showed no dramatic differences in skill levels. For 20 weeks each group received 10 minutes of instruction in their groups. In post-testing, the sports instruction group showed little change in their abilities. However, the other two groups, instructed in explicit phonological awareness and music, showed similarly great gains.
Students in the early childhood classroom are active and talkative and often need explicit instruction and reminders regarding listening skills. Peter deVries found in his study that when students were instructed explicitly in activities that focused on timbre or tempo they acquired better listening skills and were better able to compare sounds in terms of pitch and speed. Teachers who participated in his study reported that students were more observant of the sounds they heard and that they listened with greater attention when stories were read.
Many skills necessary for learning and important for success in the classroom can be magnified by music. Students' concentration levels can be enhanced by music, and as deVries asserted, music can also promote students to socialize with each other. Additionally, music can be a key element in helping students to develop both fine and gross motor skills.