Do Music Lessons Raise Your IQ or Intelligence?

Intelligence Quotient often referred to as IQ is a specific score that is given to a person based on the results he/ she got after taking a standardized test to determine the IQ levels in persons of a specified age. In an age where the demand for education is at an all-time high, the benefits of having a high IQ cannot be overstated.

As a matter of fact, Jerry Muller puts it nicely when he said, “… a period of growing equality of access to education and increasing stratification of marketplace rewards, both of which have increased the importance of human capital. One element of human capital is cognitive ability: quickness of mind, the ability to infer and apply patterns drawn from experience, and the ability to deal with mental complexity…”   hence, having a higher IQ puts you in a better position to compete in a world that demands a great deal of mental capabilities. This is the only way we will be able to compete with the growing demand for advanced thinking human beings.

Stimulating Environments, Including Music, Can Nurture IQ

Having a higher IQ enables one to be better at problem solving, decision making, comprehension, adaptability, flexibility, and so much more. All of which are important qualities for excelling both in and out of school. Therefore, the million dollar question is: “How does one acquire a high IQ?”  Over the years, many theorists and scientists alike have had heated debates over the connection of IQ with nature and/ nurture. Many have since concluded that apart from being genetically predisposed, the environment in which the child grows and develops contributes significantly to his/her IQ level. To support this theory, many researchers have found a positive correlation with Musical training and High IQ through conducting extensive studies to determine the benefits of musical training.

Among scientific research done to determine the link between high IQ and musical training were those done by Glenn Schellenberg of The Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga. His study was done with 144 children. He administered the same IQ test before exposing the experimental group to music lessons and after they were exposed. After analyzing the results, it was discovered that the group of children that were exposed to music displayed greater increase in their IQ levels than those who in the control group who were not exposed to music lessons. Hence, it can be concluded that the environment can influence pupil’s IQ as demonstrated by the evidence that music has a positive impact on a child’s IQ level.

Learning Can’t Be Forced - But Music Can Spark Creativity

Additionally, Francis Rauscher & Wilfried Gruhn in their book Neurosciences in Music Pedagogy, emphasized the fact that we cannot force children to learn, however we can create a stimulating environment that can greatly enhance and support learning. In their book, they presented empirical evidence that also suggest that music can help children to increase their IQ since it was discovered that musicians have a higher level of brain plasticity, a condition that promotes learning and deep understanding in humans. They strongly advocate for more emphasis to be placed on using music as a tool to spark learning in young children.

Marguerite-Elaine Nering in the ground breaking study of “The effect of piano and music instruction on intelligence of monozygotic twins” also suggests that that there is a very strong link between musical instruction and higher IQ levels. She reported that to determine the effects of music and IQ levels a study was done with ten sets of monozygotic twins, age’s three to seven. Monozygotic twins are twins with identical genetic makeup. This particular type of twins was chosen to rule out the effects of genes on IQ level, since these twins are more likely to have similar IQ levels given through their jeans. Another reason for choosing Monozygotic twins was to eliminate the likelihood of other extraneous variables influencing the experiment, since what affects one twin will most likely affect the other.

 In the study one twin was placed in the experimental group (that is the group that will be exposed to private piano instruction), while the other twin was placed in the control group (the group that will receive no musical instruction).  After the pre-test was administered, each child in the experimental group received 2 forty minutes private piano lessons per week that lasted over a period of 7 months. This equated to a total of 52 lessons. After the post test was administered and results analysed, it was discovered that the twin that received individualized piano instructions significantly outperformed their twin who had no exposure to piano instructions. Hence it can be concluded that music fosters the development of IQ levels in children and once exposed to it, children have a better chance at performing well in school.

Furthermore, James Caterall who has over the years been strongly advocating for more emphasis to be placed on music in the lives of your children, strong believes that the presence of music provides intellectual benefits that are not only noticed in specific countries but at an international level. In the same way he also firmly believes that the absence of music can have devastating impact on the cognitive development of the young child and the education system as a whole.

Voice & Keyboard Instruction Have Been Studied Extensively

Collaborative research done Caterall and Rausher to determine the connection between keyboard and vocal lessons to high IQ levels suggests that music indeed serve as a boost to the IQ level of young children. Their study done with 6 to 7 year olds revealed that children performance on the area of the IQ test that has to do with Math, Science, and Spatial Measures increased drastically after being exposed to music lessons. This again proves that Musical Training provides children with meaningful experiences that with values lie far beyond aesthetics.

Finally, Jessica Grahn, who has been a cognitive scientist at Western University in London, Ontario for a number of years, also thinks that the learning to play a musical instrument can also enhance the IQ levels of young children. She suggests that at least 1 year of piano lessons accompanied by ongoing practice can increase children’s IQ levels by more than 3 points. 

The Bottom Line

There is overwhelming evidence to support the fact that the benefits musical training are numerous. However, although there are many studies done to prove these benefits, many schools are still facing the issue of little or no funding for this very valuable experience. This greatly lessens the likelihood of your child being exposed to much musical training in his/her earlier years at school. This means that it is up to you as a parent to ensure that your child receives the training that is necessary to give him/her the boost in IQ that is need to perform well in school and function effectively in society.