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JULY 21, 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 28 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK The Buzz Over Beethoven for Babes Does listening to classical music make children any smarter? By MARIA CHENG
Others attribute even greater powers to music. Advocates of the Mozart theory believe classical works can stimulate echoes of the musical prodigy's genius in infants. The idea grew out of a 1993 American study that found university students who listened to the Austrian composer's works got better test results than those who didn't. How does this happen? Much of the brain develops during infancy. During the first years of life, the majority of nerve cells — some trillions upon trillions of neurons — are not fully integrated to form our central communications system. How each nerve cell wires up to other neurons (at contact points or synapses) during this period determines how effectively the brain works eventually. According to adherents, soothing classical notes encourage brain activity in babies (the rhythm is said to resemble the mother's heartbeat in the womb) and hence better connections. However, there's no real proof of a connection between putting on Mozart and raising prodigies. Experts agree that the environment is crucial to the child's development, but this is where the consensus ends. All the same, a growing number of Asian parents are trading traditional lullabies for symphonies on the off chance that they might raise junior's IQ. A University of Hong Kong survey in March found that 23% of young mothers believe listening to classical music during pregnancy will make their babies smarter. "Theoretically, playing classical music could affect brain growth," says John Colombo, a professor in the department of human development at the University of Kansas. But this form of exposure may be no different from other types of varied experience provided early in life, he says. Nevertheless, the stimuli are powerful and can shape subsequent development. "In the first few years, there is an unusual opportunity to learn well and efficiently, and we should take advantage of this," says Harry Chugani, a pediatric neurobiologist at Wayne State University in Michigan. Some studies have suggested an association with better math performance later on. Again, notes Chugani, this link is not solidly established. Still, the slightest possibility that classical music can stimulate young minds is enough for parents like Koh to turn to Bach. "It is good for my son," she says. "Clint likes most kinds of music, but is most responsive to classical." In other words, forget the Beatles. Indeed, her boy and her friends' children have taken to the music so well that Koh decided there was money to be made from it. She recently set up a website selling educational videos that introduce babies to the wonders of Mozart and other composers. The most important advantages for a kid, however, don't come with a price tag. A Beethoven symphony can never take the place of a strong parental bond, child-development experts maintain. "Reasonable exposure to classical music certainly can't hurt," says Colombo, "but parents have to be sensitive to their infant's cues." There are limits to a toddler's abilities to absorb new experiences, he says. "They can be overloaded in terms of sensory input." Jacqueline Lau can't tell if classical music speeds up the brain processes of her three-year-old, Cyrus. What the Hong Kong housewife does know is that "he really loves it." And that, ultimately, strikes a chord with any parent. Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com
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