Music Smart - Musical Intelligence

Music Smart - Musical Intelligence

When using the music-smart part of the brain we think with rhythms and melodies. Musically gifted people are able to hear, appreciate, and/or produce rhythms and melodies. We often have a good ear, can sing in tune, keep time to music, and listen to different musical selections with some degree of discernment.

What music-smart people enjoy:
Playing a musical instrument, singing, variety of music, having a full Ipod, listening, watching others play instruments or sing, parades, tapping feet, turning pencils into drumsticks, dancing (if body smart is one of their strengths), ...

If it's a strength or we want to strengthen it, we need:
Freedom to move to music we're listening to or remembering, learn to play a musical instrument, take private lessons, time and place to practice, time and place to listen to music, attend concerts, improve logic smart because music and logic are connected in the brain, ...

Suggestions for teaching and learning:
Choose songs that fit topic, study the role music played in what we're studying, study music history, read biographies of musicians and composers (excellent way to learn about perseverance and the role of practice), rhyming poetry, jingles, use rhythms and melodies to learn things (e.g., spelling Mississippi, the ABC song), read with great expression, clapping math facts, whisper silent "h", ...

Healthy/Positive uses:
Enjoy music from other cultures, gain cultural understanding, enjoy great art at home, use it to calm down, worship, perform and bless others, become a composer or music therapist, ...

Unhealthy/Negative uses:
Idolize music or musicians, listen to music to avoid interactions and conversations, listen to "wrong music", watch MTV and similar stations too much or to view inappropriate things, make noise almost constantly or when we shouldn't, ...